Surveillance: An OHSHC and Soul Eater Crossover
by Reginna Grace
Summary: Follow Maka and Soul as they are thrown into a school of rich high school kids—Ouran Academy, to be exact! See how they navigate the school trying to track down a witch that has violated the peace treaty, whilst keeping their secret, especially when they come into contact with a group of gorgeous boys! Set after the manga; Regular updates. I AM GRACIE FULLBUSTER, DON'T REPORT ME!
1. The News

**A/N: Okay, this is, in fact, Gracie_Fulbuster. Please don't report me for copying or anything, because I'm not. :o I've simply decided on posting my work on both Wattpad and Fictionpress. Please, don't hesitate to point out any grammatical errors that you spot! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story! Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC or Soul Eater!**

 **Chapter One: The News**

All was normal at Death Weapon Meister Academy, or DWMA. A strange, grey-haired teacher rambled on about an endangered species of bird, gently probing his subject, as several students cringed in horror. A blue-haired ninja was pinned to a wall by several knives; he knew better than to speak at the moment. His subjects could witness his greatness at a later time. Gentle indigo eyes glanced at the boy frequently, clearly worried. Black lashes lay closed, framing the lids of golden orbs that belonged to an unconscious boy with a nosebleed. On his right was a blonde who was currently transfixed with laying coat after coat of polish on her perfectly manicured nails. On his left was a bubbly blonde who fluctuated between drawing yellow blobs and laughing at the boy. Finally, a girl sat, fully absorbed in the teacher's lecture. By her side was a boy with spiky white hair, drool dripping from his lips as he snored loudly. A knife flew by his ear, narrowly missing as his head reflexively flew up in fear. The girl at his side scoffed as the teacher spoke into the air, although everyone knew who the disapproving words were directed at.

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice broke the silence in the room. "Maka Albarn and Soul Eater to the Death Room immediately, please. I repeat, Maka Albarn and Soul Eater to the Death Room." Fear morphed into confusion as his partner mirrored his expression, but slowly rose. From somewhere below, a boy with two lightning-shaped strands of hair snickered. Green eyes shot a venomous glare in his direction, then turned away, as Maka promptly left the room, her partner in tow.

Once safely outside, she smacked the head of her partner with her hand. "Geez, Soul! What did you do this time?!"

"Wha—! Why do you assume that _I_ did something?! And why didn't you wake me up?!" "Because only you do things dumb enough to get us called down to the Death Room, stupid! And it's _you_ r responsibility to pay attention during class!" Maka returned with equal vigor. Her partner sighed and grumbled angrily as he slouched further. "Stop slouching, or you'll get a hunched back!" She exclaimed, hitting him again. Clutching his head, he yelled back, "Damn, woman! Stop yelling in my ears! I'm too cool for a hunched back, anyway." Maka's eye twitched as she argued back. "You're too cool for the laws of the universe to work on you?! That has got to be one of the most retarded things I have ever heard!"

As the pair approached the Death Room, their bickering quickly died down. "I hope I won't have to cover for your stupid ass again," Maka shot off quickly. "He—!"

"YOU OCTOPUS BASTARD! I HOPE YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TRYING ANYTHING WITH MY MAKA! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Reaper chop!" A large hand flew down, expertly rendering the obnoxious man unconscious. "Sorry about that. Hey, how's it going, kids?" The squeaky voice of Lord Death chimed. "Hello, Lord Death. I'm sorry about my father," Maka said pleasantly.

"Yo, Death."

"Soul, be polite!" Maka whisper-screamed, outraged. Lord Death waved it off.

"Don't worry about that. But I have something important to tell you guys today." Maka quickly snapped her head towards Lord Death, giving him her full attention. Even Soul met Death's eyeholes at his serious tone. "I have decided to send you guys on a special undercover mission. You will be investigating a school in Japan."

"Lord Death, I don't understand." Maka piped up. "Why are you sending us? Why not Kid?"

"Maka-chan, as much as I would like to send my son, unfortunately, his OCD would only hinder the plan. And, of course, I can't send Black Star for obvious reasons."

Maka rolled her eyes, her mind temporarily straying to her blue-haired friend. "What about my father?"

"For this mission, you will be enrolled in a new school, Ouran Academy. I also need Spirit and Stein on standby; if you need backup, I'll send them over."

"Wait, what do you mean, we'll be 'enrolled'?" Soul grunted. "Let me explain. You two will be enrolled into Ouran Academy to investigate rumors of a witch in that area. I don't know how long you will be there, but you have to blend in, and you are the best team for the job. It might take a long time, but please understand. I had no choice. You will leave in two weeks," Lord Death finished.

Soul and Maka sat numbly for a few moments, thinking it over.

"Well, it is our job, Lord Death." Maka finally said. "I understand." At the conviction in his meister's voice, Soul immediately agreed. "Well, it's not like we have much of a choice, anyway," he smirked.

"Thank you for understanding, kids," Lord Death smiled good-naturedly. "And one more thing, please don't disclose the specifics of your mission, okay?"

"Sure thing, Lord Death!"

At that moment, Spirit decided to wake up. "And don't you even think about making a move on my Maka, brat."

Soul scoffed. "As if I'd go for a flat-chested bookworm like he—"

"MAKA CHOP!" Soul's body fell to the floor with a thump. Maka huffed. "I'll be going home, now. It's nearly the end of the day, so there's no point in going back to class. Goodbye, Lord Death." She said, bowing respectfully. "Bye, Papa."

"See you, kiddo!" Lord Death bubbily replied.

"My lovely Maka-darling! Your Papa lov—" Maka cut off her father's rant with a close of the door. She huffed, and slapped Soul awake.

"We're leaving." Earlier dispute forgotten, the pair exited the school and started for home on Soul's motorcycle.

 **A/N: Okay, and that's it for now! I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be updating every Thursday, just like on Wattpad.**

Posted: August 9, 2015  
Updated: October 25, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	2. You're Leaving Us

**A/N: Don't report me for copying; as I said, I'm Gracie_Fullbuster! I'll be posting the first five chapters today, since they're already posted on Wattpad. After that, sorry guys, but you gotta wait! :P Without futher ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter Two: You're Leaving Us?!**

Jaws dropped in disbelief as the reality of Maka's words sunk in. "You're joking, right?" Liz squeaked.

Maka shook her head. "Nope. We leave in two weeks. We don't even know when we'll be back." Liz began to sob.

"Noo! That's not fair! And we can't even know where you're going?" Soul shrugged indifferently.

"We'll call once in a while, I guess. But you can't call us. We're getting new phones, anyway."

"You mortals will be deprived of your god! As a treat, I _gues_ s I can allow you to _indulg_ e yourselves in my glorio _—_ "

"Shut up, Black Star. No one gives a shit."

"How DARE you interrupt your GOD!"

"You're no GOD, you FREAK!"

"You DARE—"

"MAKA CHOP!" In an instant, two unconscious bodies littered the floor.

"Sorry about Black Star," Tsubaki feverently apologized. The group resumed their chat peacefully for the remainder of the lunch period.

* * *

"Maan, I'm hungry!" Soul complained, walking alongside Maka. His arms were slung behind his head, and he slouched as he walked—as always. "Then maybe you should've been less annoying at lunch." Maka airily replied, walking while reading a book. Soul pulled her to the side, out of the path of an escalating fight. He tsk'ed and flicked her in the forehead. "You need to pay attention to where you're going. And what gives you the right to hit me, anyway?" Maka could practically hear the pout in his voice. Sighing, she marked her page and closed her book, tucking it under her arm. "Because you need someone to keep you in check." Grumbling incoherently, Soul flushed slightly. Rolling her eyes, Maka gave a wave as she left her partner to go to her meister-specialized class.

After watching her retreating back, Soul headed off in the opposite direction for his weapon class. 'I'm going to be late today,' he absentmindedly thought. He had been lectured by Stein for not coming to his assigned detention for sleeping in class. Not that he listened anyway. He wouldn't get expelled, after all. 'This school would be crippled without my coolness,' he decided, and continued to class with a bounce in his step, as the overhead bell chimed loudly.

* * *

"Hey, Tsubaki." Liz whispered feverently.

"Hm?" She hummed serenely, as she pulled her gym shirt over her head.

"We should totally have a going-away party for Soul and Maka!" Kim strode over, Jacqueline in tow.

"Soul and Maka are leaving?" Kim inquired.

"Yeah, Lord Death assigned them some special mission, and they're not allowed to tell us anything. We don't even know how long it'll take!" Liz pouted, still miffed off.

Averting her eyes, Kim blushed and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I _gues_ s I could get some people to help set it up. Humph. But don't get used to it!" the young witch huffed.

Jacqueline laughed. "Its the least we could do for our friends, after all."

"Who said they were my friends?! Don't go deciding things on your own, idiot!" Kim yelled, pointing a finger at Jacqueline. She then ran off to the track, to begin her stretches. Jacqueline giggled at her best friend's antics, before turning her attention back to Liz.

"I'll be happy to help as well." Liz beamed.

Nearby, Patty shrieked. "Yay! A party! Doesn't that sound like fun, Mr. Giraffe? No? I'll break your neck!"

Liz squealed. "That's my adorable little sister!" She exclaimed, gushing and patting her on the head.

* * *

"Like I said, we don't know when they're coming back! This is important, so we really have to make it memorable! That's why we _have_ to have it at Gallows Manor!" Liz said, exasperatedly.

"Elizabeth, I would gladly host a party for such a symmetrical creature as Maka," he began, purposefully leaving out her asymmetrical partner. "But one of this caliber would surely ruin the beauty of my home! That stupid wannabe ninja alone poses a huge threat to the grace of my manor, let alone a hoard of drunk teenagers!" Kid all but yelled.

But Liz was unrelenting. "You _know_ they'd do it for you without a thought. I thought you were better than this, Kid." Liz said, shaking her head. She retreated into her room, then began counting on her fingers (inspecting her fingernails in the meanwhile).

'Three... two... one...'

*Bam!*

"I'm sorry Liz! I'm so sorry!" Kid wailed, banging on her door. "I'll do it! I promise!" Liz smirked and opened the door. Kid's eyes widened in realization. With a triumphant smile, Liz handed him a list.

"Here are the people that will be attending. Kim will send some people to help with the setting up. And remember, Kid. You _promised._ " She disappeared once again, behind her door, with a flourish, as Kid stared at the... extensive list in his hand. He was _so_ going to get back at her for this. But that could wait. First, he had a perfectly symmetrical party to plan. He could already feel the growing pain building up in his temples.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! (Sorry for the shortness) Look forward to the next chapters!**

Posted: August 9, 2015  
Updated: October 25, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	3. Goodbye Nevada, Hello Japan! Part 1

**A/N: Hey again! Like I keep saying, I'm Gracie_Fullbuster; don't report me! Got nothing to say this time; so just enjoy it! Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 3: Goodbye Nevada, Hello Japan! Part 1**

Soul parked his bike outside his apartment as per usual, Maka releasing his waist and dismounting. After being held back by Stein for another lecture for Soul, they were finally arriving home. 'That damn Stein!' Soul thought. 'He was just repeating the same thing over and over! I swear he was just internally laughing while he wasted our time!' He approached his shared room, and eyed the toppled door. Maka's eye twitched. 'Black*Star...' the pair simultaneously concluded. Stepping over the fallen door, they were barely two feet in before they were blindfolded and restrained. Soul tensed, but Maka's calm wavelength assured him that they were in no danger. Hearing the familiar bubbly laugher of the younger demon pistol, followed by frantic hushing confirmed his suspicions. These were, indeed, his friends. Two sets of hands attempted to lift him, but only succeeded in rolling him over slightly. "Dammit, what does he eat?!" An irritated feminine voice snapped. He scowled, but calmed quickly. There was no point in starting a fight with Liz, anyway. Her debating skills were second only to Maka. 'What was with women and arguing, anyway?' He thought. 'Well, _most_ women,' he corrected himself, thinking of Patty.

"Yahoo! Your god has decided to help you weaklings!" A resounding slap filled the room, as well as some giggling.

"Shut up and do your job!" Liz hissed, most likely seething. A larger set of hands took his legs and torso, and they were off. His (badly done) blindfold slid down slightly, and he watched Maka be lifted onto Beelzebub by Kid, who held her waist securely. He narrowed his eyes slightly. Wait, what? He shook his head and calmed his wavelength, hoping Maka didn't pick up anything.

He and Maka were thrown onto the plush seats of a car. Probably one of Kid's limo's, judging by the softness. After a short ride, the pair suddenly found themselves deserted; their restraints cleanly cut off. Obviously the handiwork of Tsubaki. Although it was not her handler's best subject, stealth was the demon sword's area of expertise. Soul and Maka slowly exited the limo, finding themselves in front of Gallows Manor. Soul looked towards his meister. "I guess we're supposed to go in," she said, sensing many of her friends' souls, but still being reminded of that gruesome day Soul donned that horrible scar—saving her. Soul shook his head, sensing her thought process with ease, having lived with her for many years. Flicking her forehead, he stated, "How many times do I have to tell you? It wasn't your fault. And I'd do it over and over. Stop thinking like that, stupid. Let's go in." Maka pouted, but nodded and pushed open the grand doors.

"Surprise!" a raucous boom of voices shouted, as Soul and Maka were bombarded with confetti and streamers. Their close friends immediately swarmed them with goodbyes, demands of 'bringing back gifts' (Liz), and 'remembering their godliness' (Black*Star).

As Soul chatted with his best friend, Kid strode to Maka to converse about meister things. Unnoticed by Black*Star (who was deeply engrossed in a monologue—about himself, of course), Soul furrowed his brow. When she was whisked away by the girls, however, he relaxed. At this point, Black*Star concluded his speech with his declaration of hunger. "A big man like me needs to eat, after all! Nyahahahaha!" he bellowed, before taking off towards the food tables, symmetrically arranged, courtesy of Kid.

Soul, not one for parties, strode to the balcony for some peace and quiet.

Soul stared at the moon. He just couldn't believe that the were going all the way to Japan! Not that the language would be a problem. He knew Japanese; his mother was Japanese, and required him to learn it as a child. Maka, of course, knew it as well; both her parents were Japanese. But still. It was a bit nerve-wracking.

He ran the details of the mission over in his head. He and Maka were to get new phones. As for Maka, she would get a new identity. Her name would be Haruka Maka Kida, but no one would know her middle name, unless Soul, himself, messed up. He was to blend in as seamlessly as possible, while gathering a steady stream of information. But, of course, he would just leave that to Maka. Lord Death had explained that the school was a rich school, so he'd have to use his family name, unfortunately. He scowled at that. He liked to have his name trigger something other than his family in people's minds. As for Maka, her father was the personal bodyguard of an important person, which wasn't too far-fetched. She didn't know who he guarded, because his job was top-secret. 'Even without a rich background, her grades were enough to get a full scholarship into the school, anyway,' he thought, swirling some champagne in a cup. Kid turned a blind eye to all the minors at the party tonight (well, everyone there. It was a surprise party organized by friends; there were no adults), it seemed. Soul sensed his meister's wavelength nearing him and turned. His eyes widened.

The girls had given her a makeover. Her hair was down, and slightly curled, swept over one shoulder. Her bangs were out of her eyes, and to the side, accentuating them nicely. She sported a purple blouse, sleeves ending just shy of her elbows. She wore tight-fitting black skinny jeans and converse high-tops. She also had light lip gloss, which she hastily wiped off, checking behind her. Soul looked down at his black jeans and white t-shirt briefly, feeling under-dressed.

"...nk I lost them..." she mumbled, once again checking over her shoulder. She then turned her attention to him, glaring lightly. "Are we _really_ going to have to go through this again, Soul? This party is for _you!_ Go and do _something!_ " "I _am_ doing something..." "Yeah, staying in the corner like an antisocial weirdo." Soul didn't move. "Ugh. You're hopeless," Maka commented, shaking her head. She strode back into the main room, and Soul watched her retreating figure until it was engulfed by the sea of happy partygoers. He returned his gaze back to the moon. 'I hope no one brings up my family...' He felt his meister's familiar wavelength approaching again. As he turned to greet her, he noticed that she had a plate of food in her hand this time. He looked down at the fish that she obviously brought for him. He mumbled his thanks before digging in. "You better not eat my portion, Soul!" Soul chuckled and held the plate out of her reach. "And what if I do?" He raised an eyebrow challengingly. Maka gasped and stood on her toes, but Soul had grown much taller than her since becoming a Death Scythe. She gave up, pouting. Or not. She kicked Soul in the shin as he lowered the plate, sending it toppling over the edge of the balcony. There was a moment of terse silence before Soul burst out laughing at the blushing Maka, who adamantly insisted that it wasn't her fault.

At that moment, Kid walked out onto the balcony, quite confused. After waiting for the pair to calm down, he requested that they join him in the main room. "We would like to give you one last parting gift." Soul shrugged and followed Maka into the room, where it was silent, but for scattered whispers and hushing. Kid then picked up a microphone and spoke into it.

"My good friends, Soul and Maka, it makes me terribly sad to see you two moving away from us. However, it is your duty—and that goes for everyone here—to uphold peace. I wish you guys all the best for your mission, and eagerly await your return, no matter how long it takes. I have faith that you will come back safely to us." Claps erupted throughout the room as Kid exited the stage and his weapons stepped on. First was Liz.

"Maka, it was really fun having you as my friend. I will never forget the time we spent together, and I hope you come back soon!"

"Geez, she makes it seem like we're going away forever," Soul whispered to Maka. But a glance at her revealed tears brimming at her eyelids. He turned back, giving her some privacy, not before patting her head comfortingly. Liz then stepped back so her sister could speak.

"Maaaka-chan! Soul-kun! It was reeeally fun playing with you guys! Meet lots of giraffe friends! You better come back safe, or I'll break your neck!" Patty declared. Chuckles erupted around the room. She scooted over to make space for herself and her sister. "We love you guys! You're two of my best friends in the world, so you better come back to us!" Liz said, with red eyes. "Byee Maka-chan and Soul-kun~!" Patty cheered. The room exploded in claps again, as Liz began sobbing and descended with her sister.

Next, a trembling purple-head ascended the stairs, nearly tripping. Approaching the microphone, Chrona took a deep breath. "Maka-chan, when I first met you, it was during a fight. Y-you helped me make friends..." Chrona stammered, taking out a piece of paper. "U-uh, you were my first friend, s-so thank you and c-come back safe... S-soul, even though I was scared of you, you still accepted me... I still don't think I know how to deal with it! Thank you... I-if you don't come back safe, I'll be sad..." Ragnarok popped out of his back, pushing him slightly. "Even though you always attack me, and you're a gorilla woman, I like your cooking!" he declared. "And Soul always gives me candy, so I like him better than you! Nyaaaah!" And with that, he was gone. Laughter and clapping filled the room, as Chrona descended the stairs, and a purple cat walked up the stairs. Confused whispers erupted. After the whispers receded, the cat disappeared in a cloud of smoke with a pop. Out of the smoke emerged a busty woman clad in a skimpy dress, with cat ears, and a tail.

"Nyaa~! Soul-kun and Maka-chan, Blair will never forget how fun it was to live with you guys, nyaa! Come back soon so Blair can play with you again, nyaa~!" With another puff of purple smoke, the woman transformed back into a cat, and pranced off the stage. Confused, hesitant claps were the result of this short speech.

Next, the meek Tsubaki appeared. "Maka-chan, Soul-kun, the times I spent with you were among my best. Maka-chan, our sleepovers that, ironically, never actually included any sleep were always the best. Dragging you shopping always ended up as a day of laughs. Soul-kun, playing basketball games on weekends, having parties, and allowing us to kidnap your Maka-chan are among my fondest memories. I hope you guys finish your mission quickly, and come back to us safely. I love you guys," she finished, wiping away a few tears. 'Awwww's' echoed throughout the room, as well as a raucous wave of claps.

Finally, Black*Star started up the stage, uncharacteristically somber. His eyes scanned the crowd before he started. "Maka, when I first met you, you were energetic, loud, and always happy. Then shit happened. You know what I'm talking about. You became reserved, quiet, and slow to trust." You could hear a pin drop, it was so quiet. "And then you met Soul. I don't know how, but he... revived you. When you two became partners, you became so happy again, just like how you used to be. It made yours truly happy. You're like a little sister to me. Stay safe, Maka."

Maka sniffled, and nodded frantically. Black*Star then met eyes with Soul. He already knew he was going to cry. His meister's crippling sadness was spreading to him, and his bro was going to talk seriously to him. He leveled his gaze with Black Star. He was ready.

"Soul. It was fun playing basketball with you, and pranking teachers. Fighting Kid, and trying to wield you. Going on team missions... I hate to say it, but your god is going to miss you, bro. You better not keep me waiting too long, or I'm going to track you down and drag you out of there myself. I love you, bro." The suddenly serious ninja held out a fist in Soul's direction, which he returned, silent tears running down his cheeks. The room exploded in claps, cheers, and even sobs, masking his meister's hiccuping cries, as she wrapped her arms around him comfortingly.

 **A/N: And that's it! Hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter in a few minutes. Lol.**

Posted: August 9, 2015  
Updated: September 14, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	4. Goodbye Nevada, Hello Japan! Part 2

**A/N: Hey, again! Don't report me for copying; this is Gracie_Fullbuster! *sigh* Getting tired of typing it, but it's very necessary! Kinda long; I hope you enjoy it! Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 4: Goodbye Nevada, Hello Japan! Part 2**

It was three AM by the time the pair arrived home. Stepping over the fallen door, the two went to their respective rooms, too tired to care. A group of five trailed them, mostly silent (with the exception of two exuberant teens, who were failing miserably at whispering), leaving gifts on the table, next to their bags. A certain demon sword checked to make sure that the alarm was set properly. It wasn't. Laughing, she set it for 6:30, and exited the girl's room. A black-haired reaper and a blue-haired ninja carried in a new door (The old one had been destroyed in the process of breaking in), and worked as quietly as they could in repairing it. Not that it mattered, anyway. The sleeping students were out for the count. Locking the newly installed door behind them, the five intruders slipped out into the night to get some sleep themselves.

At precisely 6:30 AM, a screeching alarm startled a blond-haired girl awake. 'Oh, crap! I forgot to change the alarm setting for our flight! What time is it, 8?! That's when our flight leaves!' She attempted to flip out of bed, but got tangled in the covers, falling to the floor, and taking the alarm clock with her. '6:31 A.M.' Staring at the clock, she wondered who could've set her alarm. Well, that didn't matter. She took a 15-minute shower, thinking that this would be the last time she'd see the rusting faucet for a long while. Shaking water out of her hair, she turned off the water, and exited the shower. She knocked on Soul's door loudly, and at the sound of a loud thump and a hissed curse, she continued to her room. By the time she had pulled on her outfit—a blue and white summer dress to keep the regal air—Soul was in the shower.

From the many lessons drilled into her by the girls, she was able to pull off a few simple hairstyles, including the one from last night. Finishing it off with a headband, she stepped out of her room in time to see Soul exiting the shower, towel wrapped around his waist. Flushing slightly, she turned on her heel and yelled at him. "I'm going out to buy something for breakfast! I'll be right back!" Soul shouted out a faint 'Okay!' to indicate that he heard, then retreated to his room.

By the time Maka came back, it was about 7:15, so they had to eat quickly. She studied his attire—black dress pants and a white polo shirt, with black dress shoes. She eyed his wrist, where an expensive watch laid. "Nice touch," she commented.

"Wha? Oh, thanks." He replied, noticing her gaze. "They left us gifts," he said, motioning his head towards the table.

"We don't have time to look at them now; we'll see when we get to Japan. Let's go, we gotta get to the airport!" Maka said, swallowing the last of her deli sandwich. Maka gathered the gifts and began the struggle downstairs. Her arms weren't the strongest; holding Soul took little effort (for her, anyway), and her Maka-chops were all in the wrist.

Outside, a limo was waiting, Kid leaning (symmetrically) on the side. When he saw Maka, he immediately took her luggage. "What were you guys waiting for; your flight leaves in half an hour!" he exclaimed, exasperatedly. Soul then came down, lugging the remaining suitcases down the apartment steps. Understanding the situation, he threw the bags into the trunk, and slid in, after Kid and Maka. Kid waved to the driver from his spot between Liz and Patty, signalling him to speed off to the airport. Maka then took charge.

"You guys can't come to the gate with us, since you're not allowed to know where we're going. When we land, after probably sleeping, we'll call you once, and then we don't know when we'll be able to contact you next," she said, sweeping her eyes over all of them.

Kid then cut in. "Well, it's about ten minutes until we get to the station, so are you going to open our gifts, or not?" The tense atmosphere then split open, as Liz and Patty eagerly screamed at the pair, instantly agreeing with Kid.

First, Maka opened a perfectly wrapped cube of monotonously white wrapping paper, with a perfectly centered bow. Inside, lay a regal yet casual dress, black and forest-green, matching the shade of her eyes perfectly. It came with black gloves that came up just above the elbow, rimmed with green, a black headband with an extraordinarily crafted green metal rose, a black pumps with swirling green patterns along the sides. When Maka gasped, impressed, Kid nodded approvingly. "If a time comes when you need that dress, make sure to send me a video of you. I want to see how it looks and fits." "It looks spectacular, Maka-chan!" Tsubaki piped up. "Yeah, it's awesome!" Liz added. Kid then handed a smaller white box to Soul, as well a large black one. The small one revealed a tie matching Maka's dress, and a red one which matched his eyes. There was also a black watch, from the same company as his expensive one. Uncovering the larger box, he found a red dress shirt, with a black suit and pants, and a black backup vest. Atop the clothes were black dress shoes, polished and shiny. Soul grinned. "Thanks, Kid." "Of course," Kid replied, obviously content with Soul's approval.

Tsubaki gingerly placed two, flat, identical, rainbow polka-dot boxes into the arms of Soul and Maka. They were medium-sized, and revealed identical collages made from pictures of the many adventures the group shared. "Woah! Cool!" Soul exclaimed, extremely pleased. "They're beautiful, Tsubaki! Gosh, just when were you planning on revealing this talent to us?!" Maka gushed, along with Liz, mouth agape. Tsubaki blushed. "Eeh...? It's not _that_ special..." All around the limo, jaws dropped, save for Black Star, Patty and Chrona, who was cowering in the corner, muttering frantically.

"Are you kidding?! This is priceless!" Maka exclaimed, still in awe. She shook her head, and moved on, taking the next gift—a red, white and black plaid rectangle, with a shiny red bow—from a still shell-shocked Liz, snapping her back to life.

"Ah, these are also yours, Maka," she said, handing her a brown bag, full of expensive jeans, with unique designs. Inside the box was a diary. She looked up at Liz. "After the mission's over, we can know what it's about, right? Here's one for you, too, Soul," she said, tossing a package clad in blue plaid wrapping paper, dressed with a blue bow.

The driver suddenly yelled back, "We'll be arriving in 5 minutes, make the proper preparations."

Patty handed Maka and Soul bags, full of clothes, and two crudely wrapped packages looking oddly like giraffes. Yup, they were giraffes. A red, male one for Maka, and a green, female one for Soul (as you could tell from the exaggerated eyelashes). "Y'sure you didn't switch them, Patty?" Liz questioned her sister. "Nope!" She replied, bubbly as always.

Chrona handed them a few empty, but beautiful picture frames. "For new memories," was all the words given before Chrona retreated into a shivering mess. Ragnarok made a brief appearance, offering a large package of Deathiva chocolates.

Finally, Black*Star dropped two flat packages into Soul and Maka's laps. It was suspiciously the size of a piece of paper. "Black*Star, I swear, if it's just your autograph..." Soul started, tearing the yellow and blue star-dotted paper, but stopped short. Maka's mouth dropped, looking at hers. It was... beautiful! The pair had received hand-sketched portraits of themselves, smiling in front of the academy. "What is it? I want to see!" Liz said, leaning over. She gasped, passing it around the limo. Aside from a comment from Patty about there being 'no giraffes,' and a half-hearted one from Kid about the 'lack of symmetry,' the entire party was amazed. "I never knew you had that sort of patience..." Soul managed, still awestruck. Black Star chuckled lightly. "I hadn't done it in a while, but I had to for my bro and little sister," he said, unnaturally quiet. 'Damn, how exactly was his going away going to affect him?!' Soul thought. "Isn't your GOD just SO talented?! I know, none of you could ever HOPE to compare to the man who will surpass God himself, right? Nyahahahaha!" 'Not at all,' Soul thought, sweat dropping.

"Oh, another thing, guys. Here." Kid cut in, handing over another medium-sized box to Soul. It was covered in purple wrapping paper with pumpkins, witch hats, and fish. "Blair told me to tell me to tell you that she couldn't be here because of work, and to open this only when you get to your destination." "Okay," Soul said, eyeing the box suspiciously.

"Masters and Misses, we have arrived," the driver called from the front, voice slightly muffled through the screen. He stopped the limo, circling around to the door, which he opened politely. After closing it behind the timid Chrona, he opened the truck, revealing Soul and Maka's luggage, and produced another suitcase for all of their gifts. The apparently strong old man hefted up several suitcases, as the teens followed suit. They showed their badges, and passed through the DWMA fast line, ignoring the dirty looks of other people. Well, except for Patty, who sneered back at them menacingly.

The weapons would beep in the metal detectors automatically, so there was a special line for them, where they would be patted down, scanned, have their bags checked, and be on their merry way. Only the students of DWMA knew this, though. As for the staff's knowledge, as long as they had a badge, they were checked that specific way. No exceptions.

Finally, Soul and Maka stopped walking. "This is where we part, guys," Maka said, voice already breaking. The group closed in on the two, crushing them in a huge hug. They parted, and the girls crowded around Maka, the boys drifted to Soul, and Chrona stood off to the side, glancing between groups confusedly.

"We'll miss you sooo much, Maka-chan! Stay safe!" Liz blubbered, already in tears. Her sister, on the other hand, was laughing as usual. "See you, Maka-chan!" She yelled. Tsubaki then squeezed Maka. "Thanks for being the little sister I never had. Come back to us soon, Maka-chan!" Chrona then drifted over to the girls' group. "Th...thank you for b-b-being being my friend, M-maka-chan... Come home soon..." Chrona wailed. "No, take your time, gorilla-woman!" Ragnarok appeared suddenly, scaring many of the other VIP travelers.

Kid wrapped his arm around Soul's shoulder. "Be careful, Soul. And don't get Maka hurt." "Like hell I would," he shot back, immediately. "Good," Kid replied, without missing a beat. "That's all I wanted to hear." Black*Star then fist-bumped Soul. "Stay awesome, you hear? But not too awesome, or else I'll show you your place when you come back. See you soon, bro. And take care of my little sister." Soul nodded solemnly, as Chrona ambled over to him. "U-uh, thanks f-f-for being my f-friend... Uh, see y-you soon!" Chrona ended, trembling. Soul patted Chrona on the shoulder. "Of course," he said, simply. Then, he was swarmed by the girls. "You better keep my Maka safe, you idiot!" Liz said, grinding his head with her fist, as Patty cheered nearby, holding Chrona by the shoulders, who whimpered softly. Tsubaki looked at Soul intensely. "Take good care of Maka-chan, Soul-kun." Then her face lightened up. "Stay safe, and have a good trip!"

Kid hugged Maka and pulled back to hold her by the shoulders. "Stay safe and symmetrical, you beautiful creature."

Black*Star ruffled her hair affectionately. "I meant what I said when I told you that you're like a little sister to me. Stay safe, and come back soon, Maka." He said, before hugging her tightly. Surrounding passengers cooed and aww'ed at the sight. As Soul and Maka were about the make their exit, a sweaty red-head burst in, followed by two familiar faces.

"My Maaaka! Papa loves you very much! Don't leave Papa!" Spirit wailed. Stein pushed past the wailing father, walking to the pair. "Maka, you were a good student. Stay safe, you have special skills." "Yissir!" Maka dutifully replied. "The same goes for you, Soul. You're irreplaceable." Soul nodded at the professor's words. Marie the spoke up from beside Stein. "You two were great students. Stay safe, finish quickly, and hurry on back home!" She said cheerfully. Spirit rose up from his spot on the floor, trudging towards Maka. He studied her face silently, tracing her cheek with his finger, and brushed some hair behind her ear. "Look at you now. Kami would be proud of you. I love you, Maka." Maka's eyes brimmed with tears, when her father said that. "Geez, Papa, you make it seem as if I'm never coming back..!" She whispered, hugging him. "I love you, too, stupid Papa."

* * *

"Well, that was chokingly emotional," Soul commented, as the pair settled down in their first-class suite. "Well, up until your dad started yelling at me again. Geez, he's crazy." "He _i_ s ridiculous," Maka agreed, huffing, despite the tear-jerking separation between the two earlier. Flopping onto the fluffy cushions, she bounced excitingly. "Geez, you're like a kid, Maka!" Although, he also laid down, reveling in the plush material. "Wanna watch Deathflix? We got six hours before we get anywhere." Maka offered. "Sure." Soul replied as he stretched out, Maka's legs laying in his lap, as they were used to.

The blaring overhead voice of the pilot roused the two from their sleep. Maka shut off the television and stretched, Soul following suit. They tiredly sat up, gathering themselves, attempting to sober up. Soul glanced at his watch. It read noon, but that was Nevada time; he'd have to adjust it later.

As the pair exited the plane, several butlers took their luggage, loading it into the truck of a waiting limo. Upon seeing the DWMA logo on the hood, Soul and Maka settled into the limousine. By the time they arrived at their house (or more like small villa) for the time being, it was 5 o'clock in Japan, making it one o'clock in the morning back at home. Groggy from the long ride, Soul and Maka shuffled into the house, letting the butlers carry their stuff. Tumbling onto their respective beds, the two fell unconscious as soon as their eyelids closed.

When Maka woke next, the sky was dark. She glanced at the clock at the bedside table. '10:36' flashed at her in red letters. Checking the time difference chart she drew out for when she was lazy, she found that it was too early to call the others (It was 6:36 over there, and a Sunday!). She'd contact them when she woke up. Getting up, she realized that her last few days of sleep had been peaceful. Weird. Getting up, she trodded to the kitchen, to get a glass of water, passing a room full of maids. She could never get used to this.

She and Soul had slept during the trip (and were used to traveling a lot), so jet lag wouldn't affect them for too many days. It was Monday, she observed, flipping on the large TV. They'd go to the school tomorrow, get rid of their jet lag, and start classes the next week. After a few minutes of news, and nearly an hour of flipping through channels, Soul walked into the room, towards their completely stocked fridge, and drank straight from a new carton of milk. Maka rolled her eyes, but ignored him, already used to this gesture.

"What about that gift that Blair sent us?" Maka thought aloud. "I'll go get it," Soul spoke, setting the milk down. Moments later, he arrived with the medium-sized box. Tearing off the Blair-themed paper, Maka crouched behind him in anticipation. When he opened the box, a familiar cat wearing a witch hat stared back at him.

"BLAIR!" The two yelled in unison. "What? Blair-chan just wanted to stay with Maka-chan and Soul-kun, nyaa~" she said, obviously seeing nothing wrong with the situation. Maka bristled, as Soul looked off to the side, clearly annoyed. "We have to tell Lord Death about this..." Maka said finally. "We might as well do it when we're going to contact the others. So... later." Soul replied. Maka nodded and turned to Blair, frowning. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. She had no words for such a situation. She then sighed and turned back to Soul.

"We should try to stay up all day tomorrow, to get rid of jet lag faster. Staying up through the night should be easy, since we just slept." Soul nodded his affirmation, and dropped his body to the couch, to join Maka for some TV. Blair curled up in Maka's lap, purring contentedly.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter will be long!**

Posted: August 9, 2015  
Updated: September 14, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	5. Welcome to Ouran

**A/N: Okay! Last binge chapter! For the last time, don't report me for copying; I am Gracie_Fullbuster! Okay? Okay. (High five if you get the reference) Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 5: Welcome to Ouran!**

By the time 7 o'clock had rolled around, Soul and Maka were still wide awake, their bodies still (more or less) set at 4 P.M. Maka got up, stretching, and walked into the dining room, with Blair tailing her. While the trio was watching TV, the maids, heedful of their jet lag, prepared a late lunch for them on the table. They had not made preparations for a cat, however, and Soul had drunk all the milk during multiple escapades to the kitchen during the night. Rummaging through the fridge, Maka found a fish section. Taking out one raw fish, she threw it on a pan, on high, with some butter, salt, and pepper, not wanting to bother the maids. She soon removed a crispy fish from the stove and put it on a plate, tossing the pan into the sink (Maybe she would bother the maids, after all). Maka called Soul to the table, and they ate, while discussing each other's cover-ups. While Soul barely needed one, Maka was a different story. Plus, Soul had to memorize her situation, too. The two had taken acting classes during the time that they were still in Death City, so they were able to easily make up excuses.

"My name is Haruka Maka Kida. My father works as a bodyguard to some important person; I don't know who he is, because it's apparently top-secret. I'm not even allowed to tell you his name, or so I was told. My mother is deceased. She died in a car crash. Ever since that happened when I was 10, my dad distanced himself from me. My best friend, Soul, who had experience in running away from home, helped me to find a place to stay, and convinced my father to enroll me in a new school to—hopefully—start over. That's all I'm comfortable with sharing at this point," Maka recited, seamlessly. "You also have frail health," Soul added. "But I don't exactly know where to fit that in. If someone needs to know, I'll tell them. And when I 'faint,' I'll be contacting you via resonance telepathy (a skill they had created when Soul had become a Death Scythe)."

Finishing their meal, the duo took their showers, and got ready. Maka was dressed in a green, white and blue sundress that Patty had bought her. On the strap, just under her breast, there was a brilliant flower, which started out green, and gradually turned blue at the edges. She sported a blue and green striped headband, and white sandals. She wore white tights underneath that went just above her shin. Her hair was in the same style as it bad been the night of their go-away party. Soul was dressed in a red and royal blue designer shirt, with black jeans and a black jean jacket. He also wore expensive sneakers. Taking a white sun hat with her, Maka was ready to go, as was Soul. Blair bidding them goodbye, and Maka giving her strict orders not to transform or leave the house while they were gone, they descended down the steps, into a waiting limo, the driver already holding the door out for them. After a peaceful, 20 minute drive, the pair arrived at the large gates of Ouran Academy, where a man with slightly greying hair stood.

"Welcome to Ouran Academy!" he shouted, with a flourish, as the two exited their vehicle. "My name is Suoh Yuzuru,* the chairman of this academy," he stated, in fluent Japanese. "Please follow me." He performed an extravagant about-face, and strode up the stairs with strong, sturdy legs.

Being used to such stairs, Soul strode up without hesitation. However, 'Haruka' struggled. Soul went down to help her up, unnoticed by Yuzuru, who went on his merry way.

Upon reaching his office, Yuzuru opened the double doors to reveal a smaller version of him, with brighter hair, and violet eyes, who smiled and spoke. "My name is Suoh Tamaki, a second-year at this establishment, and..." he walked up to Maka, "...I will escort you, fair maiden, and company, around the school." 'This Suoh guy irks my nerves,' Soul thought, keeping a passive face. "Have fun, kids!" Yuzuru called out behind them.

"What is your name, fair maiden?" Tamaki cooed, holding Maka's hand. Disgusted, she pulled back her hand, shooting a dangerous smile. "Kida Haruka. I would appreciate it if you kept your hands to yourself." "But of course, princess!" Tamaki replied, oblivious to the aura she was radiating. He then turned to Soul, eyes sparkling. "And what is your name, gentleman?"

"Evans Soul," Soul replied curtly. He was not very fond of his surname, after all. Tamaki nodded smiling. "Well, Kida-hime*, Soul-kun, let's get going; you have a long day ahead of you!" he declared. Soul's eye twitched. 'What makes him think that he can address me so familiarly?!' he thought angrily, trudging after the blond from beside Maka. 'Death, I'm going to hate this.'

* * *

"Aaaand that's it!" the somehow still energetic Tamaki finished, stopping back at the main entrance of the school.

'Finally.' Soul glanced at his watch, sleepily. '4:48 A.M. Damn, it was still in Nevada time! 16-hour time difference...' His mind struggled to compute. Finally, he simply gave up. "Hey, Ma... I mean Haruka, what time is it? My watch is still off." "It's 8:48 right now. I'm tired." She turned to Tamaki. "Thank you for the tour, we will be leaving now." "Of course! Do you need a ride?" "No, I have arranged for us to be picked up. Thank you." Maka smiled politely, cringing inwardly. "Well then, I yearn for the time I will see you next! Farewell, princess!" he yelled, waving gracefully. Or frantically. Maybe both. He turned in the opposite direction and disappeared.

"Geez, that guy is annoying!" Maka snorted.

"Right?! Guh, he can't even take a hint!"

"And being polite is so energy-consuming!" Maka complained.

"Well, no one said that you had to be nice. I'm not."

"Well, being rude conflicts with my character! I'm sickly! And you're always rude, anyway!" She huffed.

"Character? Huh? What are you going on about now?" Soul drawled, confused. Once Maka got into the world of books and stories, it would sometimes take hours for her to resurface. He'd fare best leaving her be and nodding at appropriate times. Not like he understood half of the things she said, anyway. The limo pulled up, and they slid in, Maka pulling a book from Death-knows-where. Soul spent the ride thinking about the school. He hoped he'd have classes with Maka. Then they'd be bearable. Like he could sit around for hours in a class with normal humans looking for a stray witch without his meister. He'd ask the chairman to alter his schedule tomorrow, he decided, beginning to formulate a plan in his groggy mind. Feeling a pat on his shoulder, he realized that Maka had fallen asleep on him. It was, after all, pretty early in the morning, or so their bodies assumed. Smiling fondly, he closed his eyes too, intent on staying awake long enough so that he'd be able to carry her to her bed when they got back home.

* * *

"We forgot to call them!" Maka ran out into the main room where Soul was watching TV, first thing in the morning. Or, rather, afternoon. Both of them had overslept due to last night, but their bodies were finally on track (or nearly so)."They probably think something happened! Nooo! Lets call them now!"

Grabbing his meister that was currently darting around the room, Soul held her by the cheeks, saying, "Chill, Maka. It's like 11-something over there. They're not at school, so we can't call them. They're probably sleeping, anyway. We'll call them tomorrow, geez." Soul rolled his eyes. "Besides, freaking out isn't cool."

"Freaking out isn't cool? And you think that _you'r_ e cool?" She seethed.

"What? Of course I am!" Soul protested.

"Then let me remind you of the time when you thought—"

"Argh!"

"—and all day you were—"

"Ughh!"

"And that other time when—"

"Okay, I get it! Stop!"

"Humph." Maka turned around, triumphantly.

"I'm still cool." Soul muttered when Maka had left the room.

After a short day of movies, gourmet food, and stories, the two were ready to retire to bed.

"Man, today was boring." Soul said, pretty much still awake. "And why do we have to go to bed so early?! It's only ten-thirty!" "I already told you, Soul. Our bodies aren't completely on track with Japan. If we go to sleep now, we'll wake up around morning, instead of the late afternoon or evening. ...And yeah, this is pretty uneventful. I liked the crazy lifestyle we had back there. Hopefully school will make it slightly better." Maka said.

"Typical Maka, to think school will make life more fun. Well, I doubt they have crazy teachers like DWMA does." Soul mused. "Well, g'night, Maka." "'Night." Soul thought he heard a tremor in Maka's voice, but it couldn't have been, right?

* * *

 _You can't do anything._

"Shut up! I can!"

 _You're a horrible meister!_

"I'm a three-star meister, and I made a Death Scythe!"

 _Did you? Or did he?_

"We both did!"

 _Who did all the work? You, or your weapon?_

"We both..."

 _Because of you, your partner got that horrible scar. Now, you have to deal with a stray witch. Maybe you'll get him killed, too?_

"I won't!"

 _You don't deserve him._

"..."

 _You'll kill him._

"..."

 _Soul is going to die. You might as well already consider him dead._

"..."

Suddenly, she found herself before a pair of double doors. These doors looked familiar. She had definitely seen these before. She felt her body moving to press her hands upon them. Her legs moved forward, no matter how hard she willed them to change their course. It was a church, no, a cathedral. She knew this scene all too well. 'No! Go back!' She cried desperately. Or, tried to. Not even her lips would move to form the words she wanted. She was trapped in her own body.

'Did you know? The doors only open inwards,' a voice cooed eerily. A voice she recognized. Chrona. As she entered the cathedral, her eyes confirmed this. But this version was different, somehow. The wild gleam in Chrona's eyes was still there, but with something else. It was... joy. Chrona's mouth twisted into a shaky smile, one that Maka had never seen before. Maka stood in front of the door, terrified and immobile as her weapon partner yelled at her to 'dodge, block, do anything!' Arm poised to strike, Chrona's eyes danced wildly. Ragnarok came down toward her-onto Soul, who crashed to the ground. She crumpled down beside him, screaming. She watched his blood pool around his body, waiting for her Papa and Stein to come, to burst in like they did that day, but they didn't. Her body did nothing to help Soul-not even press its hands against the wound to staunch the flow of blood. It simply sat, screaming its throat raw.

Soul's head lolled to the side to face her. "Maka... what are you doing...? Help me..." His eyes rolled to the back of his head as his limbs relaxed. It was at that moment that Stein and her Papa burst in, to see her kneeling at Soul's side as blood continued to flow from his unconscious body. Stein looked at her, accusingly. "Maka, what are you doing?! Stop the blood!" Maka tried to move her body, but it just wouldn't listen to her. She could hear footsteps rapidly advancing in her direction, but she did not, could not turn. Suddenly, she heard the thump of another body hitting the floor. "Spirit!" She heard. Her eyes widened. Then, the scene changed.

"Soul, he didn't make it." Stein shook his head. "There was too much blood. And your father..." he paused, emotionally. "...will never walk again. After taking a hit like that, and still fighting, we just barely managed to survive..." The scene changed again.

It was school. It felt like the first day she came here, all over again. The school looked huge, how would she ever find her way? Then, she heard them. The whispers.

'Poor her, her partner is dead.'

'I heard she killed him.'

'She didn't deserve him.'

'She was a selfish, gutless woman, always riding off of his coattails...'

'It should have been her.'

Suddenly, the whispers stopped. All eyes were on her as weapons transformed for their meisters. She backed up, feeling her back hit a wall. She turned the other way, and ran. At the end of the hallway was a classroom, which she entered, and locked, quickly. Turning around, she saw her friends. But... they looked angry.

"Tsubaki." Black Star called.

"Liz, Patty." Kid's no-nonsense voice resounded.

"Aaah!" Kid shot her twice, in the stomach. It hurt like hell. He kicked her towards Black Star, Patty cheering, her sister screaming angry insults and curses. Black Star rested his foot on her stomach, sneering at her. He then dug his foot in angrily. The pain was immediate.

"Ah-AAAHH!"

"You. You killed him." He leaned down near her face, Tsubaki in his hand. He lowered her down to Maka's face, cutting long, shallow slashes into her pale skin. He raised the blade high, and aimed for her chest. The blade came sailing down, piercing her lungs, and she gurgled for breath. But it was a losing fight; her mouth was rapidly filling with blood...

* * *

Maka sat up rigidly in bed, a whimper caught in her throat. She had gotten good at avoiding the screams that used to wake her partner. It wouldn't do at all to worry him. He'd see right through her façade. Hot tears streamed down her face. She allowed herself to quietly sob, reaching a hand to her stomach, her face, then her chest. She cupped her face in her hands. She definitely wouldn't be getting any sleep for the rest of the night. She shivered, and wrapped the comforter around her tightly. Turning on a lamp that sat on the bedside table, she pulled a book out, attempting to drown out her fears with words.

Soul lay awake in bed. He could feel the waves of distress that his meister emitted. Soul could always feel them. Even when he was separated from her; hundreds of miles away on his solo Death Scythe missions, he could feel them, every night.

He was away when they first started. He felt horribly anxious during a general Death Scythe meeting. He was restless. He felt like he needed to return home. When that request was granted, albeit reluctantly (he was a new Death Scythe, and needed to be shown the ropes), he hurried home, only to find out that his anxiety had disappeared. 'A false alarm?' He had thought. But his instincts were usually accurate.

The next day came and went, and Maka and Soul retired for a peaceful night of bed rest. However, during the wee hours of the morning, Soul woke up, feeling anxious again. He then heard a scream in the direction of Maka's room. He dashed into the room, to find her curled up in fetal position, with tears streaming down her face. He was able to calm her down enough to go back to sleep, but when the morning came, she refused to tell him what happened, trying to play it off. But Soul was no idiot. Of course, he could tell that they were nightmares; he used to have some of his own. Of course, he tried to prevent his meister from finding out, but, Maka being Maka, she found out easily, and, quite literally, pounded the answer out of him, with her weapon of choice (after him, of course). A dictionary.

So therefore, they resolved his problems, but hers still remained. He felt powerless. Why couldn't he do anything when she so effortlessly managed to help him? Downcast, he closed his eyes. When Maka's wavelength calmed down, he would be able to sleep. 'But for now, he'd settle for wallowing in his guilt and powerlessness,' he thought miserably, watching Blair snooze peacefully at the foot of his bed.

 ***Suoh Yuzuru: In Japan, the last name is stated first.**  
 ***Hime: Princess.**

 **A/N: And that's it for the binge chapters! I hope you enjoyed it! Regular updates every Thursday! Tell me if you see anyone copying my work (not Gracie_Fullbuster, obviously). Thanks for reading!**

Posted: August 9, 2015  
Updated: October 25, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	6. The Calm Before the Storm

**A/N: SORRY FOR UPDATING A DAY LATE! I just kept putting it off; I'm sorry. I already put it on Wattpad; I always post first there, because I can do it on my phone. But for fanfiction, I have to get on my computer (even though I was on the computer all day), log into fanfiction (even though it automatically does that for me), log into wattpad (even though it automatically does that for me too), and copy it from wattpad into fanfiction, and then put the author's notes... Okay, I'm lazy. And I'm sorry. But at least I didn't go to bed yet, right? (It's 2 AM) Okay, I'm sorry for my negligence. Hontouni gomennasai. Okay?**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **Kairi671: Thanks so much~! I'm glad you think so!  
amy2may: I'M SO SORRY FOR UPDATING LATE! Here's another chappy, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Well then, since that's over, without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 6: The Calm Before the Storm**

First thing in the morning, Soul went into Maka's room. "I'm going to get breakfast," he said in English, as they used at home. Maka's head surfaced from one of her books, eyes poised on Soul. "There's room service, y'know."

"Yeah, but I want breakfast like the stuff back home." He mumbled.

"...Okay, bye." She said, her head disappearing again behind a mountain. ...Where did all those books even come from?! She hadn't yet unpacked, as he could easily tell, eyeing the boxes and suitcases on the floor. He turned around, heading out her room, and exiting the small villa, sliding into a waiting limo.

Soul arrived at Ouran Academy. School was in session, and people were running about, so he asked the nearest person—a bubbly female reminding him slightly of Patty-where the chairman's office was. Quickly entranced by his looks, she excused herself from her group of friends, and sped off in the direction of the chairman's office, Soul easily keeping pace with his long legs.

Outside the room, he thanked the girl gruffly. She blushed, and sped off in the direction they had come. Soul looked around warily. As he raised his hand to knock on the door, a middle-aged woman approached him. She had her hair in a tight bun, and was wearing business-like clothing—a simple white blouse and black suit top, a black pencil skirt, and heels. "What business have you with Suoh-sama? Have you made an appointment?" Lowering his hand, he answered.

"No, I'm one of the new transfer students, and I need to speak to him." Coughing at his gravelly voice, the secretary, named Tsugaha Yori (information he gleaned from the badge on her shirt), retaliated.

"You will have to schedule an appointment with Suoh-sama if you wish to meet wi—" the sound of a door opening cut off the rest of her sentence.

"Tsugaha, I'm going for my lunch break—Oh! Well hello, Evans-kun. What brings you here again? Is Kida-san with you? You aren't due here until Monday, you know," Yuzuru Suoh said, appearing from his office.

"I realize that, but I have something that I'd like to discuss with you," Soul said, switching seamlessly to more formal Japanese.*

"Well, I was just going out to lunch, if you'd like to join me..."

"I regret to deny your invitation, but I haven't much time at the moment. It won't take long, but if need be, I can come back tomorrow."

"Well, if it won't take long, I see no harm in taking a few minutes off of my lunch break... I can extend it, if I want; I'm the big boss, after all." He laughed, good-naturedly; Soul chuckled along, out of politeness. "Tsugaha, clear out fifteen minutes of any scheduled event after my lunch break, please." Yuzuru threw, ushering Soul into his office.

"Understood, Suoh-sama." The woman bowed politely, turned and left.

Yuzuru shut the door behind himself, and sat in his chair, facing Soul. "So? What is it that you need?" Yuzuru asked, folding his hands on the desk in front of him.

"I neglected to mention the other day that Haruka has frail health. In case of an emergency, I know what is to be done, in order of priority, and I believe that I will be able to respond the fastest. This being said, I would like to be placed in all of her classes."

"I have no problem with that, but there is one setback. Kida-san is not to attend gym, as I saw on her application form, so she has a free period. However, you have no excuse. Now, I am deeply concerned for the well-being of my students, so I have a proposal. My son, whom you met yesterday, is in a club after school. The members of this club skip their last period class to prepare for their activity. In that club, there is a particularly gifted student who is well-educated in medicine. If Kida-san's gym class is moved to the last period of the day, she will be able to stay there for the duration of the period, under the care of that student."

Soul hesitated. He tried to think of something natural-sounding. "I am a little dubious about this proposal. Who is this student? How extensive is his medical knowledge?" Soul added false concern to his voice. Too easy.

"Your apprehension is understandable. I shall summon him here for you." Pressing a button, Yuzuru spoke into a small device on his desk, requesting for his secretary to call for his son's best friend. He then faced Soul. "He should be here shortly."

Sure enough, a light knock on the door less than two minutes later and the secretary's call of, "I have brought him, Suoh-sama," indicated the mystery student's arrival. Yuzuru bade him entrance. Immediately, a raven-headed youth entered the room, coolly assessing the situation.

"Evans-kun, this is Ootori Kyoya-kun. I'm sure you've heard of the medicinal company owned by the Ootoris." Soul nodded, and stood up to shake his hand firmly. Although the Ootoris didn't have branches in Death City, there were hospitals in surrounding cities, and he had even been admitted in a few as a result of some missions in other countries. "Kyoya-kun, this is a new transfer student, Evans Soul-kun. As of Monday, a sickly friend of his will be put in your care during the last period of the day, when you are setting up for your club. Evans-kun wanted to see whose hands his friend's health was being put in."

The bespectacled teen nodded. "Very well, I understand."

"Oh, Kyoya-kun, I told you that you needn't speak so formally with me!" Yuzuru whined.

Kyoya pushed his glasses further up his nose. "I feel that it is appropriate."

Yuzuru pouted. "So cold..." He then turned back to Soul. "Anyway, Evans-kun, I'm sure that your apprehension is assuaged now, is it not?"

Soul smiled. "I feel relieved that her care will be seen to by someone from such a renowned family." Soul stated, glancing at Kyoya approvingly.

"On that note, Kyoya-kun, you may return to class. Kyoya bowed and exited wordlessly. "Evans-kun, I will make the necessary adjustments to your schedule." Yuzuru checked his wristwatch. "I still have more than enough time for lunch," he stated absentmindedly. He then looked up. "Thank you for taking the time to tell me this days in advance, Evans-kun. I will see that your schedules are taken care of later. Take care."

"You as well, Suoh-kaichou.* Thank you very much." Soul said, bowing. The man's face crinkled into a smile.

Soul left the room, in a good mood, and, once again, asked the nearest person—a shy-looking redhead this time—for directions to the nearest exit. She blushed and instantly complied, hastily excusing herself from her group of friends just as his past female guide had done. Weird. He sighed, running his hand through his hair tiredly, unconsciously unleashing a wave of pheromones, causing every female in the vicinity to blush madly. Not that he noticed. His mind was preoccupied. Maka would give him hell when he came back home for being so late. Like a female King Kong on her period. The thought caused him to chuckle, releasing another phero-wave.

A pair of stony grey eyes regarded the scene with mild interest from the inside of a classroom.

* * *

At around 11 o'clock, Soul arrived at his shared home. He could attempt stealth, but his meister could find his masked wavelength blindfolded, drugged, and in a crowd of people. He'd rather get the confrontation over with. He'd left at 10.

Immediately upon stepping inside, he was assaulted with questions. He grumbled, fending off his meister with a box of food. Livid at the lack of attention, she raised a book threateningly. "Gah, okay, okay, geez!" Soul raised his hands in surrender. "Just give me a second to breathe, sheesh." he complained. Maka huffed, lowering her book slightly. Blair slinked into the room stealthily like, well, a cat. She hopped on the table to observe.

"I got lost." Maka raised an eyebrow, unbelieving. "With a chauffeur? Hard to believe."

Soul fumbled in his head for a better excuse, but thought better of it. "Okay... I went to the school." He said reluctantly. "Why?" Maka persisted. "Mehh, I wanted to see the campus." Maka once again raised her book. "I-I went to that Suoh guy to change my schedule." He complied immediately, fearfully clutching his head, and mentally crossing his fingers that she wouldn't pry further. His prayers were, thankfully, answered. Maka simply crossed her arms.

"Why would you lie for something stupid like that? Retard. What did you get?"

"Just some stuff. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, the like." He said, unpacking the food. Maka sat down at the table, thoughtful.

"We should start doing things more Japanese-like. Y'know, get a feel for Japanese culture so we don't mess up in front of people and blow our cover."

"Like what?" Soul asked, building a small mountain of eggs on his plate. "Like you hafta start getting used to calling me Haruka instead of Maka. And we should speak strictly Japanese out the house." "Yeah, I already made a nickname for you, since we're 'childhood friends,' and all." Maka looked up from her spontaneously-appearing tower of books (Where the hell did that come from?!). "Huh? Whatsit?" "'Rukka." Maka pondered this for moment, then smiled. "I think I like it."

"I'd still call you that even if you didn't." Soul said, but it fell upon deaf ears. Maka had disappeared back into her now fortress of books, taking her plate of food with her. Blair watched the scene, amused, and winked at Soul suggestively. He blushed and looked away, shoving a spoonful of eggs into his mouth. Blair pranced off the table, heading off to Death-knows-where, satisfied.

* * *

"..ka. ..aka! Maka! Geez! Are you deaf or something?!" A window opened from the book manor that now covered a large portion of the table. Out of it flew, guess what? A book! Right into Soul's irritated face. As he toppled over ungracefully, Maka peered out of the hole. "Whaddya want?" She grumbled uncharacteristically (or maybe not). Soul sat up. "Did you not tell me that we absolutely had to see the city before we actually started school and things got hectic? Geez, you're forgetful." Soul grumbled back, once again clutching his face. "Oh yeah!" Her face suddenly brightened up. She maneuvered her way under the table and out of her villa. "Imma go get changed; hurry up!" she shouted back at the already dressed Soul. He rolled his eyes and called for a maid—team of maids—to clean up her creation.

 ***More formal Japanese: There are different levels of formal language in Japanese. Each has separate verb forms. Soul uses a lighter level of formality to speak to the secretary than to Yuzuru.**  
 ***Suoh-kaichou: Headmaster Suoh.**

 **A/N: SO SORRY AGAIN FOR THE ONE DAY LATENESS! I PROMISE IT'LL NEVER BE MORE THAN ONE DAY! SEE YOU GUYS NEXT WEEK!  
**

Posted: August 14, 2015  
Updated: September 7, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	7. Storm? More Like Hurricane!

**A/N: I apologize in advance for the garbage that you are about to read (if you don't stop here). After an entire week of waiting, this stupid, pointless, horrible chapter is... just unacceptable. And this chapter was finally a borderline-decent length, too... I'm so sorry... ;w; Maybe you can bare through it for me...? I promise that the next chappy'll be better!**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **Kairi671: Y-you really think so? ;-; Thank you so much... Although I think it was pretty short... Thanks for taking the time to review! So nice... ;-;**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS! I'M SO GRATEFUL!**

 **Kairi671  
amy2may  
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**

 **AS WELL AS THE FAVORITES!**

 **Kairi671  
LeShadowAce  
MOD Game Master  
Noiruna**

 **Well then, sorry again for the disappointment that is to come... Without further ado, let's begin!  
**

 **Chapter 7: Storm? More like Hurricane!**

Sometime around 9 PM, a pair of teens tiredly trudged through a wide doorway towards the main living room of their villa. Collapsing on one of the couches in a heap, they promptly fell asleep. They had had a long day. For hours, they toured the city, ate delicious traditional food, played games, and tried roller coasters. They even had time to speak with some of the locals about the culture (Maka). By the time the limo pulled up to take them home, they had exhausted most of their energy.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

A black cat, that had made her bed on top of Maka when she arrived, jumped at the sound, landing on her feet, on the floor. Maka fell off the couch, while Soul toppled over to hit his head on the wood of the armrest. "OW! DAMN!" Maka ambled off of the floor, trying to pinpoint where the annoying screech originated from. Stumbling into her room, she hit the alarm clock that had "23:01" flashing on it in red letters. Her eyes widened, as Soul entered the room. "What the hell?! Why would you set it so late?!" Maka turned to face her partner, an excited smile on her face. "It's about seven in the morning back home! That means school will have just started! We can call now! ...Although we should wait like... an hour... for Black Star to arrive..." "Whaddya wanna do until then?" Soul asked, scratching his head. "I guess more TV." The pair returned to the spacious main room, and flicked on the giant television. "Blair's tired, nyaa~..." the cat sleepily sang. "Blair will be in your room, Maka-chan, nyaa..." she said, walking off in the direction of Maka's room.

As the ending credits of their show appeared the screen, Maka flicked off the TV, and jumped up. "It's time!" Soul reluctantly got up (he was comfortable!), stretching. He then smirked. He was just as excited as his meister, although he didn't show it. But his hiding of feelings was more out of habit than anything else. Maka could sense his emotions, after all. She already knew just how fired up he was to see his friends, even without needing to peek at his soul. She walked into her room, which was still riddled with boxes and suitcases, and stopped in front of the full-body mirror inside her walk-in closet. Beaming, she bent down to breathe on it, and dragged her finger along the surface, as she recited a familiar chant. "42-42-564*, whenever you want to knock on Death's door." She stepped back, beaming, as the mirror rippled and warped into the figure of a familiar shinigami* drinking tea (through his mask?) came into view. He turned to the mirror. "Oh! Soul-kun! Maka-chan! Hey, hiya, how ya doin'? Nice to see ya!"

"You too, Lord Death." Maka said. "Mmh." Soul grunted noncommittally. He was not interested in seeing that particular death god. He only wanted to speak with his friends. Maka smacked him not-so-subtly.

"I see that you have arrived safely in Japan. Have you seen the school yet?" Lord Death questioned in his usual, bubbly voice.

"Yes, we took a tour of the school conducted by the chairman's son, Tamaki Suoh. It's a very large campus." Maka informed.

"Indeed. Well, I guess you'll be wanting to speak with your friends now, right? Its about eight here now, so classes have started. I'll summon them now. One moment."

"Ah, also, Blair followed us here..." Maka said. "Is that okay?" Although Blair annoyed her, she _did_ enjoy her company, especially when she and Soul got into fights. Blair always sided with her, after all.

"Of course, as long as she stays inconspicuous." He replied, nodding thoughtfully. "Now then, let me call your friends down."

* * *

All was normal at Death Weapon Meister Academy, or DWMA. Or, well, almost normal. A strange, grey-haired teacher rambled on about and endangered species of bird, gently probing his subject, as several students cringed in horror. A blue-haired ninja was pinned to a wall by several knives; he knew better than to speak at the moment. His subjects could witness his greatness at a later time. Gentle indigo eyes glanced at the boy frequently, clearly worried. Black lashes lay closed, framing the lids of golden orbs that belonged to an unconscious boy with nosebleed. On his right was a blonde who was currently transfixed with laying coat after coat of polish on her perfectly manicured nails. On his left was a bubbly blonde who fluctuated between drawing yellow blobs and laughing at the boy.

But gone was the short, green-eyed blonde in the back who attentively listened to the lesson. And gone was the sleeping albino who had no care for the lesson. Although all seemed normal, it was far from it. The ninja was pinned to the wall for boasting about his times with his best friend. He was currently subdued, lost in thought about said friend. The eyes belonged to a tall girl, worried about how their friends' absence was affecting her meister. Black lashes framed the lids of a boy who was dreaming about the first girl to accept him, and become his friend for something other than fame and personal benefit. On his right was a blonde who was laying coat after coat of green nail polish on her perfectly manicured nails—rather than her usual pink—a color that she thought would look much better on a certain scythe wielder's fingers. On the left of the boy was a bubbly blonde who fluctuated between drawing yellow blobs of pigtailed hair and laughing at said boy.

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice broke the silence of the room. "Team Spartoi to the Death Room immediately, please. I repeat, Team Spartoi to the Death Room. Said team (save for an immobile ninja and unconscious shinigami) raised their heads at the strange announcement. The first to rise was a tall demon sword, who unfastened her meister from the wall, before descending down the steps. Next, two demon pistols dragged their unconscious meister down the stairs, his head colliding painfully with each one, waking him up.

The group trudged somberly and wordlessly through the hallway, until they reached the Death Room. The tallest of the group took the initiative to open the door, holding it politely for her friends. She walked into the room after them, but was stopped by a wall (of sorts) of shell-shocked people. Looking up, her face soon mirrored their expressions.

"MAKA! SOUL!" the group chorused (with various honorifics*) loudly.

Maka waved bashfully, while Soul smirked. "Hey, guys." The pair said in unison. Black Star looked as if he wanted to say something, but Liz cut him off. "You guys...!" she sobbed. "You said that you'd call... the day you arrived...! Liars... I thought something'd happened to you guys..." Soul chuckled nervously. "Well about that... uh... stuff happened." Soul supplied, merely too lazy to explain, unintentionally and successfully keeping information about their mission secret. Then Black Star cut in. "I'm sure you guys have been missing your GOD, huh?! Glad to see you made it safely without the guidance of YOURS TRULY." Many sets of eyes rolled, while Soul chuckled fondly.

Kid was the next to speak. "Hey, guys. I see that you've arrived safely, which quells my worries. By the way, what was the gift that Blair sent you? That cat, not even going to see her friends off—" "—it was Blair." Maka cut him off. Kid gaped. "Excuse me?" "Blair was inside the box." Liz turned to face Patty. "See, I told you we should've done that!" She said. "But I wanted to stay with Kid-kun!" Patty fired back. As the sisters squabbled back and forth, Tsubaki passed a shell-shocked Kid and spoke. "I'm glad to see that you guys arrived safely. It made we worry when you didn't call over the weekend. Good luck with your mission." Tsubaki bowed and stepped back, just as Black Star resurfaced. "Yours truly is amazed at the feat you mere peasants have achieved by living without my presence for so long!" he declared, arrogantly, as per usual.

Chrona, who was retrieved by Spirit, ambled inside the room, promptly gasping upon seeing the people in the mirror. "Ma—!" "MAKA-CHAN!" Chrona retracted, as Spirit shrieked incoherently. "YOU OCTOPUS BASTARD! YOU BETTER NOT BE TRY..ing.. to..." Spirit's tone died down as a deathly glare was directed at him. Turning towards his daughter, he whimpered. "Ma...Maka-chan, what's the matter...?" The temperature of the room dropped precariously. Spirit shivered, paling. He took a deep breath... and promptly fainted. The room temperature suddenly returned to normal, as Maka innocently smiled. The room was silent, until Patty laughed (At what? Nobody knows..), causing Black Star to erupt into a tirade about how 'the likes of such a glare could never affect him,' causing Maka to glare at him as well, instantly petrifying him.

"Hey, Maka, you look pretty tired, what time is it over there, anyway?" Kid politely asked. "Yeah." Tsubaki agreed, a concerned look on her face. "It's about one in the morning." At that moment, Spirit (always with the most perfect timing) decided to return to the realm of consciousness. "YOU OCTOPUS BASTARD! JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING IN THE SAME HOUSE AS MY MAKA AT... AT... _ONE IN THE MORNING?!_ YOU BETTER NOT BE GETTING ANY IDEAS! I'LL TRACK YOU DOWN AND MURDER YOUR SORRY A—!"

"Reaper-chop!" A large hand fell down, effectively knocking out the Death Scythe. "I felt it was time for me to step in." Lord Death stated cheerfully, before going back to sipping his tea. Kid then spoke up again. "One in the morning?! We should get out of your hair, in that case. Goodbye, er, good night. I hope we can speak like this to you sometime in the near future." he said, dragging two protesting demon pistols out the door. The two yelled out various farewells before they disappeared with Kid down the hallway. Black Star opened his mouth angrily. "Your GOD shall not leave! How could I POSSIBLY be in ANYONE'S hair?! I am—!" Tsubaki covered his mouth. "We will take our leave now. Our bad for keep you guys awake. Sorry for the trouble." "TROUBLE?! How could I POSSIBLY be ANY trou—!" Just as Kid had done, Tsubaki dragged her protesting meister out the door, while somehow managing to bow and apologize furiously to the two at the same time. As Black Star's screams faded, the exhausted pair bid Lord Death goodbye, and retired for the night.

* * *

One early Monday morning, an alarm clock pierced the air, as a very tired female trudged out of bed. Smashing the off button, said female stretched, yawning loudly. Throwing a towel over her shoulder, she walked into the huge bathroom to take a bath. Fifteen minutes later, she exited, fully refreshed. She knocked on her partner's door, hearing the familiar thump and curse (her partner was very jumpy in his sleep), and continued on her merry way to her room. She opened a box that had arrived at the villa just the day before, touching the yellow fabric. Great. It was yellow. Pulling out the dress, she cringed in horror. Just what was the chairman thinking?! She pulled on the yellow monstrosity, along with the complimentary socks and shoes. Observing herself in the mirror, she burst out laughing. She looked ridiculous. She decided to put on a golden, emerald encrusted pendant to enhance the air of formality, replacing the hideous pink bow. Placing a small picture of her mother inside, she snapped it closed and fixed up her hair. Curling it, she let it down to sweep over her shoulders. Wow. It looked longer when it wasn't in pigtails. She pinned back her bangs, and placed a black headband with an array of green gems as the finishing piece. She sighed. At least it was comfortable.

She walked out of her room, just as Soul exited the shower. He took one glance at her, then froze. He then exploded in laughter. "Wha—! you—! I ca—!" he choked briefly. "Wow!" he finally settled upon. Still laughing, he clutched his stomach, falling to the floor as Maka blushed madly. Turning around on her heel, she made for the kitchen, huffing all the way there. She would not deal with his stupidity so early in the morning. She strode strongly to the kitchen, where an extravagant American breakfast was laid. Just her type of food. Plopping down on the seat unceremoniously, she filled her plate with food. 'I'll burn it off, anyway,' she thought. Then Soul walked in. Upon the sight of Maka, he began another fit of laughter, at her expense. She pouted, glancing at his clothing. He wore a white dress shirt and black tie under a blue vest. His pants and shoes were a simple black. Not too shabby. "At least your clothes look fine! (Dare she say... good?) This dress is _hideous_!" She cried.

Recollecting himself, Soul sat across from Maka, glancing at her food. "You're eating all that? You're gunna get fat." Maka glared at him. "I'm gunna burn it off, anyway." "How?" "By—!" Maka stopped. She wouldn't go on her usual missions, seeing as to how she was already on a prolonged one. She looked down at her plate, then back at Soul, finally settling upon, "I'll exercise, I guess..." "Well, you better not let anyone see you doing it. Sickly, remember?" he added, seeing the slightly confused look on Maka's face. "Also, since you don't have gym, you'll be going to some club for your last class of the day." This piqued her interest. "What kind of club?" "Dunno. All I know is that it's in Music Room 3, or something. And look for a Kyoya Ootori guy. He's, like, in charge of your health for that period." "Only that one? Who's in charge for all the other periods?" "Me." Maka's spoon fell. "So I have you in _all_ of my other classes? Wait, this was why you went to the school the other day, wasn't it?" she deduced, instantly connecting the dots. Soul nodded. "Stupid!" she said, turning her face and pouting. But that was all the chastising he got. Soul was pleasantly surprised. Testing his luck, he added, "And you'll have to miss many days of school, since you're sickly." Maka froze. Back at home, she had _never_ missed a day of class for something other than a mission. But this... this was just playing hooky! She rigidly nodded.

Then, she smiled eerily. "Well, it's a good thing that you're in all of my classes, then. Right, Soul?" Soul stopped eating. The way that Maka had said his name sent shivers down his spine. Even worse, he had been played at his own game. "Take plenty of notes for me, Soul!" she purred uncharacteristically. Soul cringed, then attempted to recover 'coolly.' ...But alas, he had no witty comebacks. Settling down for eating his food, he brought the topic back around to her fat ankles, earning him another Maka-chop.

* * *

Soul and Maka arrived at the entrance of the academy via limousine. Soul grabbed Maka's bag roughly, then proceeded to help her up the steps. Travelling through the hallway, it quickly became apparent to the two that an albino transferee was not a regular occurrence. Soul rolled his eyes and groaned. He was hoping to escape some attention; he had enough at school. Sure, it was fun to be cool, but all this staring was irritating him! Maka was oblivious to the looks she was getting. She had nowhere near as many gawks as Soul got, but her small physique and piercing green eyes elicited a fair number of stares. Soul rolled his eyes again and herded Maka to the guidance office. He'd changed his schedule to match Maka's, but stupidly forgotten to ask for a printout. 'Whatever. Being late is cool,' he thought, as the bell rang overhead. Inside the office (building!), a waiting staff member immediately headed their way. "Evans Soul-sama and Kida Haruka-sama?" she questioned monotonously. Without waiting for their answers, she handed them their schedules. "If you will, please follow me."

The two followed the lady through a confusing array of hallways before stopping suddenly at a door. She knocked politely, whispering something to the teacher, who excused himself from his class, and stepped outside. "Evans-san, Kida-san, I have been expecting you. Welcome to Ouran, my name is Matsumoto Jiro, and I will be your homeroom teacher." The balding man bowed his thanks to the staff member, and ushered the two inside. "Class, we have two new students. Please introduce yourselves." he said, turning to the two. Soul went first. "Evans Soul," he stated, indifferently. He closed his mouth, clearly finished with his introduction. A few squeals erupted, before being hushed down by the teacher. Then Maka spoke up. "Kida Haruka. Please take care of me." she said, bowing. A few girls swooned at her cuteness, while a boy from the back of the room whistled suggestively. Maka's eyebrow twitched, but she ignored it. "Hey, that hurts!" The same boy cried. Or, rather, a voice similar to it. It was subtle, but she could tell that the voice was different. Looking towards the sound, she spotted a pair of twins, sandwiching a girl. Staring at the girl, she wondered why she was wearing a male uniform. Her thoughts were broken by the teacher's next statement.

"Well, like I said before, I have a meeting to attend to for the rest of the period, so I will take my leave now. Treat the newcomers well!" the grey-haired teacher said, before heading towards the door. "Oh yeah, Evans-san, Kida-san, you can sit by the window over there." he said, pointing. Maka looked towards the window. They were by one of the twins. Great. Soul, sensing her mood, took the seat by the twin. His stomach dropping, he already knew that he'd grow to regret his decision. 'Damn protective instincts!' The redhead looked him in the eye. "Oh, woe is me! This brute has obstructed my view of the beautiful princess, my dear brother!" he declared dramatically. Soul grumbled lowly. "Why don'tcha play with that chick over there?" he gestured to the short brunette in between the twins, who went rigid at his words. "What're you talking about...?" The other twin filled in for his brother. Soul raised an eyebrow, unfazed. He then turned from the twins, to Maka, who had pulled out a book and began to read. It was then that he noticed the small crowd that had formed around their desks. He narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to speak, but a short girl beat him to the punch.

"Evans-kun, where do you come from?" she purred. He shifted uncomfortably. "Whatsit to ya?" The girl squealed, and retreated to gossip with her clique. A new girl quickly filled up the hole she had made. "Evans-kun, what is your favorite food?" she cooed, even creepier than the first girl. "Huh? Fatty tuna." he grumbled. (A brunette's head popped up at this, before returning to her studies.) The girl ran off to a corner, and flipped out her phone, whispering madly. Looking over to Maka, who was reading her book peacefully, he scowled. "'Rukka, help me out, here." She glanced over at him, and opened her mouth, but was cut off by the gasps of several females. Seeing her inability to intervene, she gladly turned back to her book, smirking. "Evans-kun, how do you know her?!" a particularly riled female huffed. "Childhood friend." he gruffly stated. The girl exhaled, noticeably relieved, as did a few others. Suddenly, they revived themselves, and resumed their frenzied questions with renewed vigor, shouting excitedly over each other.

A few quiet girls who could not speak loud enough to interact with Soul turned to Maka. "Hi, H-Haruka-chan-oh, can I call you that?" a short, black-haired girl asked. Maka looked up from her book, disgruntled. She calmed herself quickly, and put down her book. "Sure," she said, seeing no problem with it. In America, it was normal to call people by their first names. Another girl eyed her book. "Oh! I have that book!" She squealed, excitedly. Maka's eyes widened. The trio easily delved into a discussion about books. Soul glanced over. 'I've officially lost Maka,' he thought, slightly depressed. Returning his attention to an exuberant blonde questioning him about his looks, he finally imploded, standing up suddenly. Grabbing his bag (and Maka's), he stormed out of the classroom, leaving a crowd of confused girls in his wake. "Well, I should go after him," Maka said sheepishly to her newfound friends. "I'll see you later," she said, excusing herself, as many pairs of eyes trained themselves on her. She exited the room, following the irritated wavelength of her partner.

She soon found herself on the roof. Stepping in front of her partner, she looked down at him. Sighing, she sat next to him, and pulled out a book. Her calming wavelength was enough to soothe Soul to sleep. He slouched over, his head landing on her shoulder, as he mumbled her name in his sleep. She smiled fondly, before returning her attention to her book. She'd do her best to read as much as she could before she'd have to wake her partner up for their next class.

 ***42-42-564: In Japanese, this can be read as 'shini shini koroshi,' meaning 'die die kill.' Ah, the death puns... Not funny? Okay then.**  
 ***Shinigami: Death god.**  
 ***Honorifics: According to Wikipedia, an honorific title is a word or expression with conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. In this case, Soul's and Maka's friends use '-chan, and -kun,' to address them.  
**

 **A/N: SORRY FOR THIS CHAPTER! I know it was horrible, and pointless, and utterly disappointing, and stupid. But maybe stick with it...? The next chapter will be better, I promise! ;w; I hope you... weren't... disgusted with this chapter (Even though I was) and maybe I'll see you next week? Please? ;w;**

Posted: August 20, 2015  
Updated: September 7, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	8. Welcome to the Host Club!

**A/N: Hallo! Thanks for staying with me thus far! Thanks for all the story follows I've gotten this week! :D I'm actually pretty proud of the chapter this time around! And the length is actually decent! Yay! Enjoy!**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **Kairi671: I'm so glad I made you laugh! :D I hope I can make you laugh more with this chapter!**

 **THANKS FOR THE FOLLOWS!**

 **Luigi 1893830  
Nujiko  
destineyw  
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 **AND THE FAVORITES!**

 **fashiongirl23  
Nujiko  
chelsealovesya1995**

 **You guys make me so happy! :D Thank you SOOO much! :DD Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 8: Welcome to the Host Club!**

Soul opened his eyes to his meister peering down at him. Her lips were moving, but he could not be bothered to figure out what she was saying. He turned around, closing his eyes, but was roused by a dictionary to the cheek.

"Damn, woman! The hell's with you?!" He groused, nursing the offended part.

"Nap time's over, Soul. Class is starting in a few minutes. Let's go." Maka said, rising from her spot on the ground. She was quite content; she hadn't read up to any cliffhangers, so she wasn't agitated. Quite the contrary, in fact—her favorite characters were beginning to form the close bond she'd hoped for.

Soul stood up, shaking off his grogginess. "I need some—" A water bottle was shoved into his face, cutting him off. Soul looked away, grabbing the bottle from his meister. She really knew him best. After his drink, Soul crushed the empty plastic bottle, dropping it. Cool guys don't care about littering (One look from Maka was enough to change that mindset). The pair descended the rooftop steps, (Maka, with staged difficulty) and headed for their next class. Maka smiled determinedly, already anticipating a long lesson. Her partner, however, was dreading the rest of the day. This school didn't even somewhat interesting lessons. Or crazy people. Or duels. He'd never understand how Maka enjoyed this kind of stuff. Soul rolled his eyes. 'Bookworms.'

* * *

At last, the final class of the day. Soul turned to Maka with a frown. "Go to the—" "—Third Music Room, I know." Soul's frown deepened. "Be careful." He said, lowering his voice. Maka rolled her eyes, as she turned from Soul, tossing him a wave. Map in hand, she started her journey towards the room. Perhaps she could get some homework done. It should be quiet there, after all. Right?

Finally stopping in front of large double doors, Maka closed her eyes, detecting several human souls bustling about inside the room. As hard as she tried, she could not suppress the horrible memories that threatened to resurface. She allowed her mind to wallow in turmoil for a bit; the slightly masochistic satisfaction of drowning in guilt. Pushing the negative thoughts away after a few moments, she rose her hand to knock on the right door.

As she did, she turned around to two familiar redheads attempting to sneak up on her.

"Oh? What a surprise, isn't it, Kaoru?" One twin purred.

"Indeed it is, dear brother! Who would have thought—"

"—that the new kid would skip class on her first day so shamelessly?" Maka rolled her eyes again and turned back to the door, raising her hand again.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold on a second!" The twin with a distinctly lower voice exclaimed.

"The host club isn't open yet. Don't you have somewhere to be?" The other chirped.

Maka sighed internally, before turning to smile at the two. She bowed politely, before speaking in accent-less Japanese. "I was instructed by the headmaster to come here daily at this time." The twins narrowed their eyes, before turning to whisper furiously to each other. Maka rolled her eyes. She didn't need the approval of these two to go in. 'It'd clash with my character...' She thought, glancing at the twins. 'Y'know what, I've no time for this.' Maka declared internally, before spinning around and pushing open the door.

"Woah—!"  
"Hey—!"

'Ugh. That was a bad move. They might get suspicious. Maybe I should revert to sweet...?'

"Excuse me... Is there a Kyoya Ootori here?" She asked in a soft voice. 'Alright, I'll go for Tsubaki's personality.'

Several sets of eyes turned to a raven-haired youth in the back of the room.

"Kida Haruka, am I right?" Said youth questioned (although he already knew the answer, having conducted his research), standing up. Maka nodded, tipping her head slightly in respect, as the twins gaped behind her. She turned to where to majority of the group of boys were—a cluster of couches in the middle of the room.

"My name is Kida Haruka. Starting today, I will be in your care for the last class of the day. Please treat me well." Maka bowed deeply, repeating the motion at the twins. Kyoya nodded stoically, before jotting something down in his little black book, and sitting back down.

"Mommy! Why haven't you told me anything about this?! I'm hurt!" A tall blonde exclaimed dramatically. Maka struggled to keep herself from rolling her eyes. It was none other than Suoh Tamaki, the son of the chairman. Mommy, or Kyoya, ignored the dramatic teen in favor of typing furiously on his laptop. Tamaki was unfazed, however, as his violet eyes widened in recognition.

"Kida-hime!*" Maka nearly cringed at the screech that emitted from the exuberant boy's mouth. As he bolted towards her, Maka did her best to stifle the urge to dodge. Her quick reaction would surely raise some questions, after all.

As Tamaki barreled into her, she was surprised to find herself falling as a result of the sheer force. She braced herself for impact. Not that it would hurt. She had survived much worse, after all. Suddenly, she found herself being lifted into the air. Maka blushed furiously. She hadn't been carried since she was little! (Well, she _had_ been carried a few times by Soul, but all in life-or-death situations! She had no time to think at those times!) Turning to the face of the one who picked her up, she was met with the expressionless eyes of a tall male. She blushed further, itching to hit him with a book-anything to get away from those eyes! He set her down gently, and grunted in response to her squeaking out her thanks.

The male took his place next to a short blonde, who was staring at her in slight adulation. He leaped from his seat, before making his way toward her.

"Hi, Haru-chan!" The boy started, before his face crumpled drastically. "T-takashi... I want to call her Haru-chan, but I already call Haru-chan that!" He sobbed. The tall boy that lifted her earlier patted the smaller boy's head, and bent down to murmur something in his ear. Whatever he said seemed to do the trick, because the shorter boy's face brightened up again, before he yelled out another nickname. "Ha-chi! Do you want to have some cake with me, Ha-chi?"

Maka internally smirked at her new moniker. Kid would be jealous.* "Sure," she said, allowing the short-statured boy to whisk her away by the hand, as her blush finally began to die down. But before she could sit down, she found herself sandwiched between two redheads. Even with her best efforts, she could not fight the heat that quickly accumulated on her face. To her dismay, this egged on the twins.

"Haruka-chan is cute when she blushes!" They chorused. "And since she'll be with us every day from now on—" "—that means that she is our new toy!" A short brunette stomped towards the twins angrily, having just burst through the door.

"She definitely is _not_ your toy! She's a person!" Said brunette huffed before smacking both twins. The twins broke away from Maka, clutching their heads. Maka smiled at her savior gratefully.

"Thank you for your help. I hope we can become friends. It's nice to know that I'm not the only girl here." At her last statement, the temperature of the room dropped slightly as four of the six males in the room froze. The twins immediately scampered up to Maka.

"A-a girl? H-how rude... Ha-haruhi is most definitely male." Maka raised an eyebrow. These people were obviously attempting to hide this 'Haruhi''s gender. Too bad she could tell with a glance of the soul. Glancing at the female in question, Maka deduced that she wasn't too affected by it. Before she could properly finish her assessment and make a reasonable conclusion, she was interrupted by a shrill shriek.

"NOOOOO! WHY DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY DAUGHTER'S IDENTITY?! MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER, COME TO DADDY! DADDY WILL KEEP YOU SAFE!" Tamaki screeched, glomping Haruhi.

Maka cringed at the obnoxious voice. It reminded her horribly of her father. The similarity was unsettling. She then deadpanned at his ridiculous words. 'Even if I wasn't sure of Haruhi's gender, he's gone and erased all possible doubt now.'

The furious brunette pushed off her upperclassman. "Senpai*, stop it! It's not like I care if anyone finds out, either way." The rejected blond theatrically gasped, retreating into a suddenly dark corner, where several mushrooms began sprouting.

The shortest of the group ambled over to Maka, eyes wide and teary. Maka melted at the look. "Ha-chi, you won't tell anyone, right?"

"No! Of course not!" She protested. The short blond promptly smiled and sailed into her arms, hugging her tightly. The boy had a strong grip. Glancing at his soul, she noticed that he was trained in martial arts. 'I'd better keep up my guard around him. I don't know how perceptive he is,' she thought, tightening her arms around his small frame.

"Yay! Ha-chi won't tell!" He then proceeded to lead Maka back to his station, for some delicious pastries. Maka's eyes immediately flitted to a lavishly-dressed chocolate cake near the center of the table. Her green eyes glittered as she cut herself a generous portion. Taking a fork, she cut into her cake ravenously. The short boy giggled. "Ha-chi really likes cake, doesn't she?" Maka blushed. She'd been found out. "It's okay! I like cake too!"

The wounded Tamaki suddenly popped out of his corner, taking Maka by the hand, and raising her to her feet. She looked back at the cake longingly, stretching her arm out. "Well, since you will be with us the foreseeable future, allow me to introduce everyone." He made a show out of clearing his throat noisily. "The Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful."

He delicately placed a finger on Maka's chin, which she struggled to ignore. "So, what kind of guy are you into? Do you like the Strong, Silent type?" He pointed to the tall boy who lifted her earlier. His grey eyes bore into hers strongly. "Morinozuka Takashi." He rumbled deeply. "But we just call him Mori-senpai for short. What about the Boy Lolita?" He pointed to the short brown-eyed blond who offered her cake. "Haninozuka Mitsukuni. But you can call me Honey!" The boy, now revealed as Honey, chirped. "Or perhaps you like the Mischievous type?" He pointed to the twins. "Hikaru-" "-And Kaoru Hitachiin," "At your service." They introduced themselves, smirking at her. Maka made a mental note about the difference in tone of voice. "What about the Cool type?" He pointed to the one whose care she was under. He briefly looked up from his computer to state his name. "Kyoya Ootori." Tamaki then spun to face the short brunette who had defended her from the twins earlier. "Perhaps you would like our newest addition, the Natural Host?" The so-called Natural Host smiled, taking Maka's breath away. She could clearly see why she was deemed as such. "Haruhi Fujioka. Nice to meet you."

Finally, Tamaki put his arm around Maka's waist. She could not suppress the instantaneous shudder that erupted at his touch, but luckily, the airhead failed to realize that the shudder was not due to his charm. "Or maybe, you're into a guy like me. Tamaki Suoh, the Prince of the Host Club!" He declared, as rose petals rained from the ceiling. Maka pushed his face away gingerly.

She frowned. These guys didn't even know her, and they already wanted her to choose one of them? Obviously, she could see that they had no sense of commitment. Just like her papa. Pigs. "I don't know you guys like that."

"It's okay, princess! Your Prince will take care of you!"

Maka's eye twitched. 'Disgusting.' Tamaki froze, paling drastically. 'Crap. Did I say that out loud?' Tamaki crumpled to the floor.

"Princess, how cruel!" He cried, tears spouting from his eyes. 'Dammit, how am I going to fix this?!' Maka frantically thought. Two voices burst out in laughter, as the bodies of the twins returned to reside by her side.

"Wow, whatever you said—" "—really seemed to do a number on him!" They guffawed. 'So they didn't hear exactly what she said. Safe. It didn't seem like the buffoon would tell, for the sake of his pride.' Maka let out an imperceptible breath. She finally sat down and hastily took a bite of her chocolate cake. Her eyes widened in blissful indulgence. 'So this is what luxury tastes like!' She thought, her eyes sparkling. Coming back to reality for a moment, she pouted. ' _This_ is what I have to deal with for an unforeseen amount of time? This is going to be a long few months.'

* * *

Soul groaned as he felt another wave of annoyance wash over him. Since the class started, Maka's emotions had been fluctuating wildly. He wondered what could possibly be happening to induce such mood swings.

So far, he'd done a good job of keeping his distance from anyone. It was just too dangerous to interact with anyone, while his mind was in a state of pandemonium. It's not that they had shared emotions, but Maka's feelings overlapped with his when they were intense. Thank Death for that. He didn't know what he would do if he shared Maka's feelings every time she was menstruating. He sighed loudly, shoulders drooping as the bell rang overhead. Apparently, Maka shared his immense relief at the sound of the bell. He ignored a chorus of masculine cheers and feminine sighs, quickly grabbing his bag. He had already changed back into his uniform, and was ready to find Maka so they could go home.

However, he was not one step out the door before he was suddenly tossed into a bustling swarm of females. Where did they come from? Wait, how did they get in the hallway so fast? The bell had just rang! Soul winced as his feet were trampled by a stampede of heeled feet. Were the shoes really necessary? Oh, wait. Rich snobs.

Finally, his emotions settled. That must mean that Maka wasn't being subject to... whatever she was experiencing in the music room. Oh, yeah! Maka! He had to get to her! Soul attempted to begin his trek again, avoiding tiny feet to the best of his ability. As much as he wanted to push his way through, Maka would pummel him if he harmed someone unnecessarily. 'It's uncool to hurt women, anyway,' Soul's brain sluggishly supplied. Swimming through the vast sea of women, Soul began in a random direction, before realizing that he had no way of knowing where to go. Mentally facepalming, he turned to one of the swarming girls.

"Hey, uh, d'you know where—?" The latter half of his question died down, as the girl he had been facing abruptly collapsed. 'What the hell?!' Meeting eyes with another girl, he parted his lips to speak, but was interrupted by her outcry.

"He _looked_ at me!"

He frowned. Was it found out that he was no heir nor royal? Was it that bad to be looked at by a 'commoner?' Turning around, he just barely missed the delicate catfight—that consisted primarily of light shoving, upturned noses, and girlish cries—that erupted from the screech. Deciding to turn to the old-fashioned method of doing things, he reached for his satchel, in which his campus map was contained. However, as soon as his bag fell from his shoulders, it was ripped from his grasp. Whipping around, he witnessed it being ripped to shreds, his belongings tossed around carelessly by the flow of the crowd.

His eyes flitted around quickly, looking for any sign of the vibrantly-colored map. There! Hovering a few inches above the gyrating mass of females was the familiar sheet of paper, kept aloft by the constantly wavering air currents.

Starting in that direction, Soul eagerly traipsed, only to watch as it, too, was reduced to tatters by the girls' hands. Soul growled angrily, throwing his hands in the air.

"This is fuckin' ridiculous!" However, the entirety of his complaint went unheard, as a result of the raucous cacophony of the overcrowded hallway. Soul attempted to bring up his hand to wipe his face, but found that his movement was restricted further, even more females entering the hallway by the second! Ugh. He'd never get to Maka in this mess!

* * *

Maka had less of a difficult time enduring Soul's emotions, seeing as to how she was used to his annoyance. Therefore, it came as no surprise to her when she felt herself bristling slightly. However, tolerant as she was, Maka simply could not tamper down her attitude when it came to Tamaki. Speak of the devil...

"Kida-hime! Guess what?! I came up with _une bonne idée!_ *"

"And what is it, Tamaki-senpai?" Maka asked, forcing a smile.

"You can become my new daughter! Isn't it great?!" Tamaki all but squealed. Without waiting for her answer, he turned to Haruhi. "Haaaaruhiiii! Guess what?! You have a new little sister!"

"Senpai, that's all good and well, but shouldn't we be getting ready for our clients? The bell already rang." Haruhi pointed out. As Tamaki nodded and began to shout out orders for the hosts to assemble, Haruhi stayed back, turning to Maka quickly.

"Sorry about him. You don't have to play along if it bothers you. I could probably talk him out of it."

Maka waved her hands. "Oh no, it's quite all right! Don't trouble yourself!"

"Well, if you insist. You better be prepared, though. Tamaki-senpai can be a little eccentric sometimes." Haruhi laughed, before waving and joining the rest of the hosts. Maka could already tell that she'd like this girl. Tamaki then spoke up again.

"Kida-hime, I have another great idea! Why don't you stay with the host club today? Surely a beautiful princess such as you would like to be entertained by a prince, such as me?"

"I don't know, I'm waiting for someone to come and get me... I should actually get out of your hair." Maka desperately attempted to refuse. Even sucking up to him would be better than being stuck with him for another hour or so.

"Nonsense! Of course my daughter is welcome here! You can stay here until you are retrieved by this person you speak of!" Tamaki declared, without any room for protest. The aloof teen then turned to the rest of the hosts, before bringing his hands together for two loud claps. "Hosts! It is time!"

Maka watched, slightly enthralled, as the group suddenly became more refined, as Tamaki gave them a briefing. He turned back briefly to give Maka a wink (at which she blushed... Damn her stupid blush!), before yelling out with an air of grace. "Open the Host Club!"

At this, Kyoya pressed a button, and the doors opened to reveal a hoard of excited females.

"Welcome to the Host Club!" The united Hosts seamlessly recited in perfect synchronization, startling her. The girls poured in, paying no mind to her, as rose petals rained above their heads.

Maka watched as the hosts streamed to their respective places in the room. Many of the girls swarmed to Tamaki, and he accepted them wholeheartedly, bestowing upon them fancy monikers and pet names. Maka turned around, disturbed. 'Why in the world would women fancy such a thing, _knowin_ g that nothing is meant by it?'

Suddenly, she felt a slight stinging on her forehead. Lifting her hands up to rest on it, she brought her perplexed eyes to meet those of the Lolita host.

"You look angry. Is something wrong? Do you want to hold my Usa-chan?" A pink stuffed rabbit was placed in her lap. Maka looked back up at the serious face of the one who called himself Honey. It was just too adorable. Emitting a few light giggles, she picked up the toy and squeezed to please him. It was surprisingly soft, she realized, snuggling deeper into it. Maka looked up to see the small host, and all of his clients, looking at her. Blushing, she stammered and held the stuffed toy back to him. "S-sorry..."

"It's okay! Ha-chi is cute when she blushes!" The short blonde exclaimed, squeezing his reclaimed bunny excitedly. The nearby girls squealed in response.

"Oh, Honey-senpai, you're _sooo_ cute!"

Maka furrowed her brow. "Senpai?"

The girl turned to face her. "Yeah, you didn't know? Honey-senpai's a third-year student. He's even older than Mori-senpai!" The girl stated matter-of-factly. Maka's eyes widened at the newfound information. She had thought that he was a first-year who hadn't yet gone through puberty, only to discover that he was older than her (and hadn't yet gone through puberty?)!

Once again, suddenly (as most things involved with Honey were sudden), his fist flew into the palm of his opposite hand, as he gasped excitedly (somehow). "Princesses! D'you wanna meet my new friend?" Honey squealed. With a face such as his, who could refuse? The girls, Maka included, nodded enthusiastically. The short blonde flung himself at Maka, catching her off guard. Attention was drawn towards her again! "This is my new friend, Ha-chi!"

Maka flushed, having been addressed unnecessarily. "Kida Haruka. Please treat me kindly." To her surprise, the girls greeted her kindly. She had unconsciously been expecting the response she got from many girls when Soul had become a Death Scythe. However, she was treated warmly and included in the discussion that Honey had with the girls, and even shared a few words with Mori. She was truly enjoying her time. However, she had to occasionally pull back from her happiness to keep an eye out for clues. She couldn't afford to be careless, especially since the stray witch was reported in such a highly-populated area.

But where was her partner? 'Soul should have been here over an hour ago!' Maka frowned.

A tall, obsidian-haired giant glanced briefly at his charge. Childish as he was, the short blonde was as perceptive as he, and could clearly sense the new girl's apprehension at being integrated into the group. To them, her astonishment and relief at acceptance was only too obvious, which would mean that she wasn't treated fondly elsewhere.

Mori could already predict the begging that would surely ensue, once the girl had left, to help. He had already made up his mind to do so, anyway. Wherever Mitsukuni went, he'd follow.

However, one thing was bothering him. If she was such a nice girl, with a personality such as the one she displayed presently, in what environment would she not be accepted? Why, even being accepted, was she reluctant to integrate herself fully into the group? Mori's eyes narrowed slightly on the short blonde sitting by his cousin. It was too early to assume anything yet.

Two familiar claps sounded, signalling the end of the two-hour hosting session. "Princesses, I regret to inform you that the Host Club hours are finished. However, worry not! We will reunite very soon! For true love is limited neither by time nor by space!"

As the last bit of girls swooned, and the unconscious were dragged out by their friends, Haruhi began gathering up the dishes and silverware to clean in the kitchen. As she rounded over to Maka's table, she noticed that her guest had been doing the same.

"Ah! Haruka-san, that's not necessary. I can take care of this."

"No, I'd like to help. If I'm going to impose on you guys, I'd at least want to help out a bit." Maka replied, as if those were her honest feelings. In truth, she was just horribly bored. 'I could probably get some useful information from Haruhi,' she thought, following said brunette to the kitchen.

Maka began unloading the small cart that was crammed with dishes. Pulling up her sleeves, she grabbed a sponge and began to clean.

After a particularly loud squeal from Tamaki, Haruhi laughed and began to speak. "That bunch is crazy. I've been with them for months, and yet I still have yet to get used to their antics." She rubbed her head absentmindedly.

Maka smiled. "Yeah, they do seem to be quite the oddball group. By the way, is Honey-senpai really Honey _-senpai_? He's seriously the oldest?"

"Yeah, he's actually older than all of us. Even Mori-senpai."

"Wow, that's crazy." The two lapsed into a period of silence once again, except for the clinking of dishes and silverware, and the sound of running water. A quaint silence which, after a few moments, Maka decided to break. "So... how did all of you guys meet?" At this, Haruhi burst into laughter, clutching her stomach and splashing water on the floor. When her giggles had receded, she took one glance at Maka's bewildered face and had another fit.

"Well, that's a long story..." She said, teetering on the edge of composure.

* * *

Soul looked up at the sign hanging in front of his face. _Music Room 1._ He was close! Advancing in the same direction, he looked at the next sign. _Library 3._ 'No!' He thought frustratedly, wheeling around. Stalking in the other direction, he glared at the signs. _Music Room 1, Music Room 2, Music Room 3!_ 'Finally! Just get Maka and go!'

Violently throwing the doors open, Soul scanned the room with a scowl, ignoring several bewildered faces.

'Uh, sir—!"

Ignoring the one who spoke, he stalked towards a room in the back where he felt his meister's soul the strongest. Throwing the door to the room open, he saw a brunette jump in fear at the expression on his face. Like he could care less. He was exhausted, and very irritated. He just wanted to go home. His meister was already facing him-figures; she could sense him. Looks like he wasn't the only irritated one. She pranced over to him, not scared in the slightest. The brunette watched the scene unfold, worriedly. Maka raised her hand, and he noticed the book she held right before it made contact with his face, which was whipped to the side by the blow. Weird. It was lighter than usual.

"Have you no decency?! How can you just storm in here like that?! God, Soul, I can't believe how brash you are!" She seethed, the other female in the room relaxing, realizing that they knew each other. Maka huffed, standing on her toes to reach his face. "Expect a proper Maka-chop when we get home," she hissed lowly. Soul paled. Maybe he hadn't thought this through. Maka then stepped back for some more berating. "And why are you so late anyway?! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" She sighed loudly, turning back to the brunette. "Sorry, Haruhi; I'll be going first. See you tomorrow." She grit out, obviously irritated—with him. Damn it.

The girl, or Haruhi, stammered a reply, which he didn't bother to listen to. He was still tired, after all. In fact, the reply that this _Haruhi_ chick had said elicited a laugh from his meister, causing light conversation, heedless of his presence. His eyebrow twitched. He was _tired,_ damn it! Clicking his tongue, he grabbed Maka by the waist, cutting off her conversation, and tossed her over his shoulder. He just wanted to get home, even if it meant being Maka-chopped sooner. He ignored her protests, and gritted his teeth when she hit him with her tiny fists, because _damn, they hurt!_ Made strong from years of wielding him, no doubt. He smirked a little in pride, before grimacing again.

He opened the door, and she quieted significantly, collecting herself to speak again. "Just put me _down,_ Soul!" He complied, pulling her away before she could apologize to her acquaintance again. He walked out the room, and was faced with four horrified faces, and two stony ones. Ignoring them, he picked up her bag, which he recognized by the stretching fabric. It was always filled with books, after all. Maka apologized to the group, making use of complicated language that he saw as pointless. He grabbed her arm, effectively cutting her off, and dragged her out of the room, effectively cutting her off—again.

As they stepped into the hallway, he could sense her simmering. She was definitely going to strangle him later. But, in respect to the few lingering students and teachers in the hallway, she settled for huffing repeatedly as she grabbed her bag from his grip, retrieving her map.

Maka led them out of the labyrinth that was the school, and as soon as they were seated in the limo, he felt a crippling pain in his head.

'I thought she was going to get me when we got home...' Soul thought, before blacking out.

 ***Kida-hime: Princess Kida. She's not actually a princess, nor is Tamaki under the impression that she is one; it's just a nickname.**  
 ***Kid would be jealous: Hachi means eight in Japanese, and eight is Kid's favorite number.**  
 ***Senpai: Upperclassman in school. The person who is addressed this way is in a higher grade (or year or something; I don't really know how it's called in other parts of the world) than the person addressing them.**  
 ***Une bonne idée: 'A good idea,' in French.**

 **A/N: Sorry for Soul's language. It made me very uncomfortable to write, but I honestly couldn't find any other words to substitute that would fit his character. I sincerely apologize. *bows* Welp, that's it, so I hope you enjoyed! Hopefully, you'll keep reading! Personally, I'm pretty proud of this chapter. :3 Thanks for reading!**

Posted: August 27, 2015  
Updated: September 7, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	9. Starting Today, You Are a Host!

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness, I've explained why that happened in the bottom author's note (too lazy to type it twice).**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **amy2may: I know, right? XD I'm glad I portrayed them well enough that you can appreciate their cuteness in my story. :3  
** **Kairi671: I'm so glad I made your day. When I saw your comment, I immediately showed my best friend, fangirling all in his face. XD  
** **Jaci=dot=Sale: Here you go! I'm sorry it's late! By a whole 25 hours. ;-; I've explained why in the bottom author's note. Sorry about your name; I guess fanfiction thinks that it's a website!**

 **THANKS FOR THE FOLLOWS!**

 **Lollypop001114  
Jay's feather  
Dark beyond  
Whatstoknow**

 **AND THE FAVORITES!**

 **Lollypop001114  
Jay's feather  
Dark beyond**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter! Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 9: Starting Today, You Are a Host!**

Soul awoke to a pounding headache. Clutching his head as he was used to, he sat up slowly, noticing that he was still in the limo. He stretched his neck until he heard a satisfying pop, and looked out the window. It was dark out. Though he took a (book-induced) nap, he was still tired. He stepped out of the limousine, apologizing to the driver, who had waited for him to wake.

Soul stepped into the house, fully prepared to force his displeasure upon Maka in the form of endless grousing, but was stopped by her sleeping form. She was keeled over at her desk, books open to a lesson he faintly remembered from earlier that day. Shaking his head, he picked Maka up, transferring her to her canopy bed. He couldn't imagine why she liked it, all closed up in there, and sweaty, but she had said it made her feel like a queen.

'Didn't she know she already was one?'

Soul flinched at his thought. Where had that come from? 'Queen of bookworms and fat ankles, maybe.' He corrected himself irritatedly. 'Why was she studying on their first day, anyway? They had no homework! Bookworms." Shaking his head, he stalked out the room. Maybe Maka would chop him in her sleep. He shivered at the thought.

Soul headed into the kitchen for some much-needed grub. Breaking into a jog, he smirked. He could feel the spaghetti calling him!

* * *

Maka woke up to the sound of her alarm. Furiously, she smacked it to the floor, where it landed, still blaring. Furiously, she raised from her warm bed to properly turn off the machine; shivering when her feet touched the cold floor. She did not have a good night of rest at all. 'It could have been worse,' she decided, her mind straying momentarily to unpleasant memories.

She turned to the large window before her, where her reading perch was built into the wall. The sky was dark, the stars still barely apparent, making their last statements before morning came. Walking over to sit at her favorite place so far, she took out a book, mentally allotting half an hour of reading time, before she would go downstairs for exercise.

When her time was up, and her exercises done, she trailed into the bathroom for a quick shower. Maka knocked on Soul's door upon exit, as she was used to, and arrived at her room to get ready for school. Pulling on a perfect copy of the yellow monstrosity she had worn the day before, she styled her hair the same way she had it on the day of her go-away party. The style was growing on her. Maybe it'd be her signature hairstyle? She placed her locket around her neck, and headed downstairs, shoes clicking noisily.

At the breakfast table, she noticed the integration of a few Japanese dishes. Good. She'd have to get used to it gradually. Taking out a book, she began to read, occasionally nibbling small bites of her food. Soul joined her later, clicking on the TV as he sat, attracting Maka's attention. She marked her page, and placed her book down.

"Why were you so late yesterday?" Maka demanded, right to the point, as always. (Well, almost always—not when she has to go on dates with her father, but that's a story for another time)

"I got held up." He grunted, flicking through the channels.

"By?" She persisted, raising an eyebrow.

"What? Why d'you need to know?" He groused, glancing back, before training his face on the TV. Unfortunately for Soul, he missed the tick mark that appeared on his meister's forehead.

"What kind of question is that..? You were two hours late!" Maka raised her voice, annoyed with the stupidity of her partner. Meanwhile, a small black cat pranced into the room happily, attracted by the smell of food. Greeting the two present, she was ignored, both partners distracted.

"How rude!" She purred indignantly, before stalking to the table to assess her choices, then settling happily beside a plate of fish curry.

"Ugh... I just got held up, geez! The hallway was full of people!" Soul groaned. "Not that big of a deal!"

"Not that big of a deal? How does the hallway stay full of people for two hours?!" Maka demanded, stepping in front of him, and staring into his eyes fiercely. Soul met her eyes equally fierce, and more than a bit annoyed with her now. What was her problem?

"I dunno, there was a ton of girls just standing out there for no reason," He said, raising his voice to match her volume.

"Wha—? I bet you were just taking your sweet time, weren't you?!" Maka turned from Soul angrily.

"Huh?!" Soul asked incredulously. Then he smirked, opening his mouth. "I bet you were just jealous, tiny-tits. Damn possessive woman. That's why you'll never get a boyfr—!" Before he could finish his sentence, a book came down on his head heavily. Enough to throw him to the floor, but not knock him out. He turned just in time to see Maka, shaking in rage, before she stormed out the front door.

'Shit.'

Soul shot up, adjusting his tie, before following Maka into the limo, where she had retreated. She was sitting rigidly, nose in a book, which was covering her face entirely. "Maka..." He started, attempting to get her attention. However, she didn't budge from her spot. After a few more failed attempts, Soul frowned, dropping his weight on the seat. 'Dammit. This isn't cool at all.'

As the limo pulled up to the school, Soul exited the limo, and held his arm out for Maka, as he had the previous day, only to be completely bypassed. Turning around angrily, and somewhat embarrassed, he glared around, looking for anyone who might have seen the exchange, then walked behind Maka, bristling.

The pair stepped into their first class of the day, heading to their seats, where Maka immediately pulled out a novel. No, wait, that was a textbook. Soul took his seat in between Maka and one of the red-headed twins, who looked over his shoulder to leer at Maka. The girl was headfirst into her textbook, probably reading up on all that the class had done in the three months since school started. What did it matter, anyway? This wasn't really school. It was just a mission; a temporary assignment. Soul turned to glare at the twin, who flinched, before pulling a quick (shaky), flashy (scared shitless) smile and turning away.

As the teacher strode through the doorway, Soul pointedly turned his gaze to the window. He could already tell that today was shaping up to be a long day. Soul slouched lazily, before resting his head on his arms, which were folded up on the table. 'It was time for a nap,' he decided, his crimson eyes drooping closed.

Maka didn't even look his way.

* * *

Soul watched down the hallway at Maka, displeased with the fact that she was still ignoring him. The minute the bell rang, she was out the door without so much as a 'See ya.' Outwardly, Soul's face looked passive and uncaring. However, he was hurt by the neglect his meister was showing towards him. Pushing down the urge to follow her to her destination, Soul turned sharply, walking in the direction of his gym class, frowning and grumbling all the way. 'Man, this was so uncool.'

Maka walked to the club room she had resided in the day before, silently bristling. 'That jerk! How rude could he possibly be?!' Unlike the day before, she didn't run into the twins in front of the double doors. Pushing said doors open, she gazed upon a scene similar to the one she had encountered the first day of school.

Maka waved politely, smiling the best that she could, but she just could not tamper her mood. She went to the kitchen to sit in silence. Haruhi soon joined her, and Maka chatted with her, while helping to prepare for the day by setting up snacks on carts, and brewing tea.

"Kida-san, why were you here alone when I came in?"

Maka tried not to cringe at the question. Those acting classes sure came in handy. "It was pretty noisy, and I wasn't feeling too well," Maka said, mostly sticking to the truth. She wasn't feeling well at all—she was hungry, and she had a pounding headache! Damn her stubborn self for skipping lunch to go to the library, just for the sake of avoiding Soul! Forcing a smile, she added, "But I'm feeling better now." Haruhi nodded, satisfied, before turning back to tend another brewing pot of tea. Maka wiped her forehead, and continued helping. The host club was about to open, after all.

Before long, the host club opened, in all its extravagance. Maka decided to sit with Haruhi today. Even through she had to conceal some details, Maka could easily ease off some of her frustrations with the Natural Host. Letting off steam relaxed her, and she fell back into silence, thinking about her mission. She went unnoticed, as Haruhi's other clients quickly delved into conversations with her, ignoring her presence completely. Maka paid no heed to this, unbothered by the lack of attention she was receiving.

Out of nowhere, a wave of frustration and annoyance washed over her, along with the tiniest hint of disappointment. She refrained from rolling her eyes. Soul had probably gotten himself in trouble again. She was only too used to the combination of feelings that her frequently emitted. A buzz in her satchel confirmed her thoughts; she knew without looking at the text that her partner had been sentenced to detention. Ignoring the device, she sighed, immersing herself deeper into the comfortable cushions of the couch. It'd be a while until he came for her. His short temper would, no doubt, extend his stay.

As the last girl was unwillingly herded out, the twins pulled the host club Prince close, and began whispering furiously, gesturing wildly. Maka raised an eyebrow. What could they possibly be conspiring about? Rolling her eyes, she turned from their antics, disappearing into the kitchen to aid Haruhi in cleaning the dishes once more. Waving off the brunette's protests, Maka pulled up her sleeves, and began washing the dishes. Haruhi joined in, and even began humming lightly as she worked.

* * *

"Tono*! Didn't you notice something weird yesterday?" Hikaru whisper-yelled, wrapping an arm around Tamaki's shoulder. "Yeah, and today, too?" Karou supplemented, mirroring his brother's position around the confused half-Frenchman.

The addressed party craned his neck to glance at his captors, placing his mirror down with elegant, practiced movements. Donning a suddenly serious face, he wove his arms around the twins to place them on their shoulders instead. "What might that be, gentlemen?"

"The number of clients in the past two days," "Has decreased drastically!" The twins theatrically proclaimed.

Tamaki gasped loudly. "Mommy, is that true?!" He screeched, whipping his head in Kyoya's direction. The bespectacled teen pushed his glasses up his nose, before nodding stiffly. "We have experienced a rather sudden decrease in sales in the past few days—a 40% decrease, in two days only." A shadow passed over his face as he delivered the news, his glasses glinting eerily. His expression was hidden, causing a tense atmosphere, before he pushed his glasses further up his nose bridge, then turned back to his laptop, clicking furiously.

Four of the other hosts present shivered violently. Tamaki, who was relevantly quick to recover, spoke again, placing his hand on his chin inquisitively. "But why could this be? Have our princesses lost interest in us?" The twins snapped out of their stupor.

"Who could possibly know?" The two shrugged, before staring pointedly at Kyoya. Tamaki's fist flew into his open palm, as a triumphant grin graced his features. "I've got it!" He declared, as the twins clapped appraisingly in the background. Prancing over to his best friend, he laughed merrily.

"Mommy! Why have we lost so many sales?" He demanded, pointing a finger towards Kyoya. Said teen ignored his overly dramatic friend, in favor of typing out his frustrations. It took a moment for the blond to realize this, but when he did, he reeled back dramatically. "Oh, mon ami*! Why would you neglect me so?" Tamaki exuberantly cried, tears flowing from his eyes. Upon realizing that his friend wasn't budging, he decided to change tactics. Tamaki walked back into a corner, staring at the junction sadly. He turned his eyes on his best friend, who glanced at him, before looking back to the screen of his laptop. But Tamaki was relentless. He stared at the corner again, and then stared at Kyoya again. Kyoya responded by pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. Once more, Tamaki repeated the action. Kyoya glared at his best friend, before clearing his throat.

"For the past few days—!"

"—Oh, mon ami! I knew you really cared for me!" Tamaki cried, springing up from his corner to attach himself to his best friend in a bone-crushing hug. The teen struggled to get the blond off of him, but was no match for the perpetually produced adrenaline that Tamaki's body constantly made use of. When the blond had calmed down, Kyoya finally shoved him off of his body. Adjusting his suit, he glared at Tamaki, who, obvious as always, sprung up without noticing the uncurbed malice directed at him. Clearing his throat again, Kyoya briefly touched the touchpad to keep his laptop from falling asleep, then spoke.

"As I was saying," Kyoya paused to glare at Tamaki, who brushed it off as a pause for suspense. "For the past few days, the hallway outside of the male gymnasium* has been congested with female traffic, but for one male student at the center of it all," He paused to push his glasses up. "Evans Soul."

Four jaws dropped to the floor (and one pair of eyes stared on passively), as Kyoya continued with his report. "It seems that this student has attracted both clients and viable patrons. Therefore, if we included him in the host club, profits would rise to 115%. I propose that we recruit him." Kyoya concluded, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Tamaki looked to be deep in thought, eliciting a dumbfound silence from those around him. "...I'll consider it," he looked up, his violet eyes showing signs of conflict, before it melted away into his usual carefree expression. Throwing his hands up in the air, he began fawning over his "daughters" in the kitchen, melting the room's temporary stagnation.

* * *

Maka and Haruhi, finally finished with all their toils, exited the kitchen to get some studying done. Maka had wanted to get caught up with what the class had been doing, but had accidentally tuned out Haruhi for a few moments, and her brain refused to retrain itself. The brunette had now finished her lecture, and was working silently on some homework, blocking out all of the host club's antics. Maka's headache became worse as the minutes ticked on, and she was suddenly acutely aware of how empty her stomach felt. She had not finished her breakfast, when was the last time she ate? Yesterday noon? But she shouldn't feel as bad as she does due to that alone; she must have caught a bug, somehow.

Apparently, Soul was experiencing some kind of crisis as well, because turmoil that was clearly not hers filled her senses, and it definitely was not helping. A wave of nausea washed over her, as she pressed her palms into her stomach. As the nausea ebbed, she fought to keep her composure. She just didn't know how she'd stand up. A bell blared overhead, causing the pulses in her head to intensify, and she nearly whimpered.

Against her will, her soul rejoiced when it felt the familiar wavelength of her partner starting in the direction of the room. Now, all she had to do was leave, and she could eat something, take some pills, and then sleep. Sensing his soul reaching the doors, she began packing her things to take home for the day. When the double doors opened to reveal a familiar face, she hastened her pace. Soul began making his way towards her, but was intercepted by the host club Prince. Maka's face fell.

* * *

Soul stared at the clock anxiously. He could sensed that Maka was feeling unwell. Even though she was probably still mad at him, he could probably tamper her anger and ease the situation, if he played his cards right.

Looking up from his desk, he glanced at the clock again. The teacher in charge of his detention class—a teacher that had annoyed him, causing him to begin yelling—raised an eyebrow in mirth. Soul glared back down at his desk, annoyed. He had finished his work ages ago (Maka had drilled this particular lesson into him a while back), so why couldn't he go already?! All teachers just hated him. Well, except Ms. Marie. Finally the bell rang. The teacher opened his mouth, but before he could get any words out, Soul grabbed his paper and newly replaced bag, left his work on the desk, and bolted out the room wordlessly.

Speed-walking in a random direction, he fished around for his map. He was going the wrong way. Of course. But he had to recover coolly. Taking the steps above him, he turned in the opposite direction a floor above, and then took another flight of stairs downstairs. Nodding to himself, he continued on his way, before anxiety took over again. Hastening his speed, he skidded to a stop in front of a sign, reading Music Room #1. 'Not falling for this again,' He thought, advancing to the next sign. Library #3. 'Dammit!' He scowled. There were no stairs here, either. Wheeling around, he stalked in the opposite direction until he reached the room he sensed his meister in. Thinking back, he should have just concentrated on that from the start.

Soul threw the doors open, and began heading toward his meister immediately. Suddenly, a blond torpedo blasted toward him. He sidestepped the strange projectile, but it stopped abruptly in front of him, anyway. What appeared in front of him was a blond male, about an inch or two shorter than him.* He was pointing a finger in his face. "Hey, all up in the face, back up..." The male took a step back to scrutinize him.

"I have decided!" The blond declared, once again pointing at him. Soul took a step back.

"Woah, woah, what?"

The blond looked Soul in the eye. "Starting today, you are my newest host! You will begin doing little tasks until you gain a reputation! And if you get enough clients in a week, you will become an honorary host club member!"

Soul narrowed his eyes. "Who says I want to join?"

That made the blond recoil, before he seemed to have a revelation. "Do you not feel you have the confidence? You must feel intimidated by me. It is very rarely, after all, that God creates a being who is beautiful both inside and out! That is fine, for, I will guide you! Fear not, for—!"

"Huh?! Who would feel intimidated by you?!" Soul raised his voice, annoyed. This guy was blocking him. His mouth fell open as the blond suddenly collapsed. But he had no time for this. Stepping over the body, he began toward Maka again, before a raven-haired male stopped him this time. His eye twitched. What was it now?!

"I apologize for the fool over there. However, we would like for you to join the host club." Soul glanced over to Maka, who appeared quite pale. Then teen continued. "That is all. Please consider this over the next day." Soul nodded gruffly, then made a beeline for Maka. He grabbed her bag, and she stood up. Turning around, he took a step in the opposite direction, before glancing back. She seriously did not look well, but she opened her mouth to speak to him.

"Geez, at least say something to the guy." She all but moaned. Even ill, she would criticize him. Soul rolled his eyes. Not that he wasn't used to that already. He turned around to the teen who had spoke to him earlier, realizing that it was the one that the headmaster had introduced to him. Otoro* Kyou, or something...

"I'll back to you on that, tomorrow." He said, before turning to Maka with an eyebrow raised. Said female wobbled on her feet, before collapsing suddenly. Soul's eyes widened, as he dropped the bags to catch her. His heart jumped, before he remembered the plan they had set up.

'Satisfied, Maka?' He asked in his mind. He waited a few seconds for her to answer. She didn't. That's when he lost it.

"Shit shit shit shit shit..." He said, ignoring the numerous gasps and outcries from in back of him. Ignoring them, he placed his arms under the bend of her knees, and her neck to carry her in a princess hold. The tuna guy walked in front of him.

"I've called for an ambulance, it will—"

"—That won't be necessary, thanks." Soul cut him off, walking over to the bags he had dropped and picking them up as well. He kicked open the doors and exited, asking a nearby student to help him to the exit. It was a boy this time, a brown-haired one, with brown eyes that were partly hidden by his square-shaped glasses. The boy stammered at seeing his face, and paled at the unconscious girl in his arms, before acquiescing and leading him, albeit 15 feet in front of him at all times. Not that Soul could possibly care less. This wasn't the first time that this had happened—leave it to Maka to work herself enough to pass out.

When he got to the front door, the student stammered incoherently, turning to run. He bumped into a girl with short brown hair, and blushed furiously, the color quickly returning to his face. Soul didn't stay to watch; instead opting for leaving as quickly as possible. A waiting limo was in front of the school, as expected. Soul slid in carefully, leaving Maka on the seat.

The ride home was quiet, more so than he was used to. Even if Maka didn't speak to him, there was always the sound of pages turning and strangled noises reverberating in the limousine. The deafening silence tormented him until they got home, at which point he wasted no time in transferring her to her bed.

After notifying the staff and requesting some soup, Soul peeked in Maka's room. She was snoring lightly. Sighing, he pulled the chair away from her desk, and put in next to her bed. Situating himself in it, it wasn't long before he fell asleep.

When Soul woke up, it was due to the rustling of covers. Looking over to Maka's bed, he watched as she struggled to catch the last few tendrils of sleep slithering away from her. Failing, she sat up and yawned, rubbing her eyes. She met his eyes, then looked away. Oh, right. She was still mad at him. He sighed. Of course he'd have to make the first move.

"Maka, uh, I'm sorry for, y'know, saying... what I did before..." He apologized awkwardly, rubbing his neck. Maka huffed.

"I'll forgive you, this time." She said, before rubbing her neck as well. "I guess I was also in the wrong, too, making assumptions... And, um, thanks for bringing me home, too." She finished, mumbling the last part with a slight pink tint on her face. Soul caught it, and smirked.

"No problem, tiny tits." He dodged the book she threw at his head, but a second one nailed him in the stomach. "Dammit, Maka," He groaned, as she huffed, before smirking and tittering quietly. It hurt less than usual, not that he'd tell her that—he wasn't a masochist! After recovering, they began light conversation.

"This'll make a good excuse for you to not come to school for the next few days." Soul drawled, causing his partner to pout, before she smirked.

"I hope you're ready to take plenty of notes for me, then." Soul groaned audibly, rolling his eyes. He had no choice.

"By the way, there's some food for you that the chef made."

"Not hungry."

Soul's eyebrow twitched at the answer. This was one of the worst parts of when Maka was sick. "I don't care. You will."

"Not hungry." She insisted.

Soul groaned, leaving the room, and returning with a tray a few moments later. He unceremoniously dropped it in his meister's lap. She pushed it away, her face scrunching up. "Maka..." She crossed her arms, stubborn as a mule. "Christ, Maka, just eat!" She shook her head. Struggling not to tear out his hair in frustration, he took back the tray. He held a spoon out in front of her face, and pinched her nose. She punched him in the gut, spilling the contents of the bowl all over Soul, burning him. She turned away defiantly, as Soul yelped in pain. After he had calmed down, he turned back towards her. "I give up. Eat this when you get hungry." He growled, placing the rest of the tray on the table beside her bed. It held some bread, some butter, and various cold cuts, as well as chamomile tea. Soul bent down to pick up the bowl, as Maka spoke.

"What do you think about the host club?"

Soul straightened, pausing to think. "What do you mean?"

"Are you thinking about joining?"

Soul's eyes narrowed. "Hell no." There was no way he could deal with the blond, who seemed to be in charge. If the leader that was what the leader was like, who knew how the rest acted. For all he knew, that tuna guy could turn out to be a pretty kinky dude.

"Hell yes," Maka countered. "Hundreds of girls come every day. It's an efficient way of gaining information about the school and town news."

"Oh hell no. I'd rather go there as a customer than actually have to deal with that blond idiot every day."

"Then a customer you shall be."

"Wha—seriously?! No, I'm not gay!" Soul growled, feeling as if his masculinity had been insulted.

"Then you'll host." Maka said, final in her decision. "It won't be forever, and you have to do it for the mission."

Soul let out his frustrations in the form of a yell. It was obvious that he had lost the argument. He ran a hand through his hair, attempting to recover coolly. "Whatever. I'll think about it," He said, even though there was nothing to think about. He lost. "Eat your food, and then sleep. If I come here, and I see you reading, I'm turning the lights off."

"What are you, my dad?!" Maka protested.

Soul cringed at the mention of the crazy red-head, before answering Maka's question. "No, but I'm your partner for this mission, and if you're sick, it'll take longer to complete it." That sated Maka, although she huffed angrily. Soul picked up the plate, that he had temporarily placed on the bedside table, and headed towards the doorway. "Get better, tiny tits." He said, before racing out, narrowly avoiding the book that flew out after him, a scream of frustration following it. The book smashed into the wall across from the room, making a dent in the wall. His eyes widened. If it did that to the wall, just what did his skull look like?! Good thing that he always drank lots of milk.

He turned around, tapping a nearby staff member and asking them to get more soup and telling them that there was a mess on the floor. The woman, who had her hair dyed pink, stared at him with expressionless blue eyes, before nodding stoically.

Soul then walked away to take a shower. He was sticky with soup, and hungry. He smelled himself. Maybe he'd have some of that soup later. He wasn't planning on doing his homework, in favor of taking a nap. His neck hurt from the awkward position he was sleeping in earlier, and he'd have a ton of notes to take for Maka tomorrow. Yes, he'd sleep as much as he could, so he wouldn't fall asleep in class. Maka'd kill him otherwise. Soul groaned. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

 ***Tono: A Japanese honorific that is similar in meaning to "King," or "Lord."  
** ***Mon ami: French for 'my friend.' This is the masculine form; the feminine form being 'mon amie.' What I mean by 'masculine' and 'feminine' forms is that, based on their gender, you call them differently. You would call a male friend 'mon ami,' and a female friend 'mon amie.' In this case, the two variations are pronounced the same; the only difference is the 'e,' as is the case in countless other variations.  
** ***Male gymnasium: I don't know how it is in Japan, but gym classes are separated by gender where I live.  
** ***So, Soul got taller after he became the last Death Scythe; He's about 6'2'' (187.96 cm) making him only two inches (5.08 cm) shorter than Mori!  
** ***Otoro is a section of tuna belly; apparently the most desired part. It's used in sushi.**

 **A/N: Sorry for updating…two...days... late... I'm taking my first AP class, and... Christ, it's intense! Over four days, I've gotten literally not even 8 hours of sleep altogether. (I honestly don't understand what energy source I'm tapping into to function right now, but whatever. Maybe I'll pass out later, like Maka. XD) But you guys seem to like my story, so this is for you. Even though it's late. I'm so sorry for breaking my promise! DX I wasn't expecting that much craziness, seriously! Sorry. I guess I can't keep my promise, since I dunno what AP'll have in store for me... Sorry. I'm used to keeping my promises. I feel seriously ashamed. ;-; *does dogeza***

 **I think I'll make a side one-shot. About the one week that Tamaki spends thinking and observing Soul. But that's for another time.**

 **I've discovered that I enjoy writing from the perspective of Tamaki and/or the twins. It's so interesting, and hectic; I can just imagine their reactions in my head! It's so funny! XD And fun!**

 **I'm done with italicizing things. I write this story on wattpad first, then transfer it here, but I always have to add back the italics. Much work. Such lazy. Very done.**

 **Uh, I'm pretty bad at fight scenes. If anyone can refer me to any type of help, or give me a link to a fanfiction with really good ones, so I can study them, it'd be greatly appreciated. It's not coming up next chapter (I don't think), but I need to practice a bit before I put some garbage in my story again. The first seven chapters of my story were garbage. Nothing anyone says is going to convince me otherwise. But, yeah, help. o-o**

 **So, Maka's trying out all of the hosts' stations before choosing one to stay at for the rest of the time she has at the school. I'll put a poll on my profile; which host should she end up with? I'll be taking answers from both here and wattpad, so even if you see that a host has the top number of votes here, it might not win in the end. Depending on you guys.**

 **Once again, I apologize for Soul's language. But Soul curses all the time, unfortunately. I think I'm tampering him down already, as is.**

 **I hope you stay with me! I won't stop this story. I refuse. I hope I see you next week. Well, in five days, actually. Finally, my chapters are becoming consistently a decent length. So happy! :D Hope you guys enjoyed!**

Posted: August 5, 2015  
Updated: September 7, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	10. Soul's First Day

**A/N: Once again, sorry for the lateness! Two weeks in a row, wow, really Reginna Grace?! Ugh. ;-; I'll start writing the next chapter right now as an apology!**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **Kairi671: Yeah, I thought it was a little mundane without a fight. :3 Can you even believe my best friend?! He said "They're probably lying." :O  
The Bluest Lips: I love this crossover too! Yay! XD Here you go! Sorry it's so late! DX**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!**

 **JustGoCrazy  
Rumle5  
The Bluest Lips  
Carthage5**

 **AND THE FAVORITES!**

 **QueenLlama  
JustGoCrazy  
Rumle5  
Ace.W.15**

 **I hope you enjoy this belated chappy! Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 10: Soul's First Day**

Maka groggily peeled opened her eyes, glancing at the clock next to her bed. It was 4 in the morning, meaning that Soul would be sleeping. Perfect. Jumping out of bed, she quietly placed her feet on the floor, shivering at the lack of warmth. Tiptoeing past Soul's room, she headed to the shower quietly. Finishing up quickly, she slipped back in her room, settling under the covers with a book. She'd wait for the perfect moment to strike. She didn't trust Soul to take decent notes for her; whenever she happened to fall ill, she left that task to Tsubaki.

When her phone buzzed under her to alert her of the time—about 6—she shut off the lamp and faked sleep. She'd have to be patient, and not fall asleep. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps trail to Soul's room, bringing her out of her hazy state of mind. That was a close one! A few soft knocks sounded, followed by the familiar thump and string of curses. Maka giggled quietly, muffling the sound with a pillow. She listened to the sound of Soul's trudging footsteps to the bathroom, and waited for the sound of the shower to start.

Not only did the noise keep her awake, but it gave her the excuse to read! Turning on her lamp again, she clasped her book greedily, eyes widening at the information. She was so engrossed in the book that she nearly missed when the shower shut off, ten minutes later. Furrowing her brow irately, she shoved her book under her pillow, and reached over to shut off the light. Under the covers, she fumed, waiting for Soul to leave the house.

When his footsteps eventually receded (she assumed to go downstairs for breakfast), she got out of bed, as quietly as possible. She hoped Soul that wasn't focusing on her soul; that would ruin everything! Slipping into her uniform, she quickly fixed her hair into a braid, which she left to one side, before putting on her locket.

Maka sat in wait, concentrating on her partner's soul. Hopefully, he wasn't doing the same. After quite some time in the kitchen (he was likely watching TV), she finally felt his soul leave the residence. Perfect! This day was going great so far. Maka whipped out her phone, calling one of the preset numbers. Less than five minutes later, a limousine pulled up in front of her house.

Happily sliding inside with her bookbag and current book addiction, it was only when her stomach grumbled loudly that she realized that she was, in fact, famished. The plate of cold cuts that she had left overnight ran through her mind. She felt a little guilty, wasting food. Her stomach suddenly lurched. Okay. She'd just buy something when she got to the school. She had no cash on her, but Lord Death had supplied both her and Soul with two credit cards each. Damn, he was really pampering them on this mission. She could just imagine Lord Death, telling them not to worry about it; to just finish the mission.

Rolling her eyes fondly, she curled up into a comfortable position to read her book. A tap on the door interrupted her thoughts. Her eyes drawing towards the sound, she jumped at the sight of her partner, who had raised an eyebrow in silent question. Soul opened the door, scrutinizing her with a whimsical grin on his face. "So _that's_ what you were doing this morning..." He commented, causing her to gasp-nearly gasp. Instead, she turned around to hide her and blush from her partner (not that he couldn't already see it; it had spread to her ears and neck), pouting. "Go home."

Maka spun around, outraged. "Wha—!"

"—You're _sick,_ remember? What if someone sees you? Obviously, they'll know that you have great health, 'coz you recovered so quickly." Soul reasoned, although Maka wasn't listening. The quick turn had incurred her body's wrath; her stomach churned uncomfortably. Her lips pursed as she attempted to reel in her discomfort, face paling slightly. Her stomach grumbled. In front of her, both of Soul's eyebrows shot up. "You're not even better yet? When was the last time you ate?"

Soul frowned as Maka fumbled around for an answer. He shook his head. "Nope. You're goin' back." Maka opened her mouth to protest, but closed it to keep bile from shooting up her esophagus. Maybe there was something in that chocolate cake... Not that she minded (much)—it was delicious! Soul rolled his eyes, before getting up. "Get better, tiny tits." He attempted to maneuver himself out of the car before getting hit, but alas, his efforts were futile. Rubbing his skull, he grumbled at his fuming meister, before exiting the car, that shortly drove away.

His face drooped into a lazy expression. He was bored already. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Soul threw off his shirt, chugging down a bottle of water that the school staff had provided. Wiping his sweaty face with a towel embellished with the school logo (also provided), he stopped to rub his head. Suddenly, a few impressed-sounding gasps rang out. Confusedly, he looked around at the various faces trained on him (although his face was passive). Soul looked down to where people seemed to be pointing. Ohh. He had forgotten to wear an undershirt, and his scar was showing. As unrealistic as it was, he wished that no one would ask.

To his dismay, a student almost immediately approached him. "Woah, what's that?!" Soul raised his eyebrow. Was this guy retarded?

"What does it look like? It's a scar, duh." Soul groused, pulling a clean change of clothes over his head, dismissing the student. Or attempting to. To his dismay, the student didn't lose his thunder.

"That's awesome! How did you get it?!" Others voiced their numerous questions as well. Soul stayed quiet, deliberating his response. It was not something he liked to remember, although he would do it a million times over, if given the choice. His eyes tightened. It was none of this kid's business, he decided.

"Nun'ya business." He grumbled, a tone softer than before. Soul glanced at the clock. There were a few minutes left, but he had finished his physical testing. Top of the class. Not that he expected any less, seeing as to how he was probably the only one in the class that got actual training. As the incessant (to him) questioning rang on around him, Soul gradually found them increasingly hard to ignore. Glancing at the clock again, he decided that he just didn't care. He exited the room, leaving a room of slightly awed students in his wake.

'Well, there goes the last class of the day. I guess I have to go to the _host club_ now...' He clenched his eye closed tightly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Arriving finally at the extravagantly decorated doors (after some trial and error), he sighed heavily. 'The things I do for you, Maka.' Sighing again, he pushed open one of the doors to see the Host Club gathered around some couches in the middle, dressed in some kind of Indian garbs. The smallest one quickly rushed towards him, trailed by the tallest one.

"Is Ha-chi okay?!" The short-statured blond squeaked. The high-pitched voice grated on his nerves. He didn't know any girls that spoke like that (aside from his fangirls back at home), and definitely did not want to deal with such an annoying sound for the next few months.

Attempting to be somewhat pleasant for Maka's sake, he grit out an answer. "Yeah, she's fine." The giant next to the blond narrowed his eyes at Soul, most likely sensing his curbed animosity. Soul leveled his gaze with the male, unfazed. Soul could tell at a glance that the giant was trained in martial arts, and surprisingly the short kid, as well. Not that it mattered. He doubted that either of these guys went up against beings that actually could kill them. Probably just monitored matches and competitions, left and right.

The other blond in the group approached him, followed by twins, who were sandwiching the same girl that was with Maka the day before. "So, gentleman, have you made your decision yet?" He theatrically questioned, striking a pose.

Soul's face dropped. 'For the love of Death, why am I being dragged into this?! Maybe I can just back out...' Soul thought, although he knew that such a method of escape was impossible. Sighing, he reluctantly answered. "Yeah..."

The blond seemed confused. Was he really going to have to repeat himself?! "Yeah, whatever, I'll join." Soul grumbled.

At Soul's confession, the blond laughed merrily. "Quickly, then! We must fix you up before the ladies come! Mori-senpai! A station for our new host!" The blond took hold of Soul's shoulder, attempting to urge him in the direction of a door. Soul didn't budge by the meager force emitted by the host club Prince. Instead, he shrugged off the hand grasping him, and walked into the room. 'Might as well get this over with,' he thought, lifting up his shirt.

As expected, the blond gasped dramatically, before trying to form words. As his mouth gaped like a fish, the twins stepped into the changing room with some clothes. Wordlessly, Soul grabbed the cloth and began slipping it on, ignoring the mirrored expressions of the twins. Deciding not to make a big deal out of the issue if the three musketeers weren't going to ask, Soul looked down at himself, then at the mirror across from him.

"Too big...?" He questioned, although he wasn't entirely sure. He wasn't familiar with Indian clothing, after all. The twins rushed to his side, prodding him with pins. Soul gasped out curse after curse until the twins were satisfied. Looking at himself in the mirror again, he noticed that the fabric was more tightly bound together. He looked good in gold, he decided, staring at the glittering pants. His top was a red sherwani* (information supplied by the twins), riddled with gold designs, and reached just below his knees. The twins placed a "dupatta scarf*" in his hands, and led him towards a room filled with shoes. They glanced at Soul, before throwing several pairs of shoes his way.

Soul caught them as they came, trying on the first one that he liked. It was red, with black and gold trimmings. It happened to fit perfectly. He thought it matched his outfit nicely, but the twins simultaneously shook their head, throwing him more shoes. After a few minutes of searching, he found the perfect shoe. Like the first one, it was red and gold, and it curled on the tip. However, the golden accents in the red were what sold the twins. Soul had to admit, it did look good on him.

The twins finished the look with numerous necklaces, bracelets, and rings; gold with fake rubies (he hoped!). Looking at himself in the mirror, Soul decided that gold was his color. He wondered how it'd look on Maka... Two claps snapped him out of his thought process. "Soul-kun, I'm so proud to see you grow up!" The idiot prince declared. He was draped in blue and gold, from head to toe, and also donned a crown dotted with sapphires and diamonds (These people wasted their money on things like crowns?!).

Soul followed the trio (he refused to count himself as one of them) out of the spacious changing room, into the main room. The shortest of the hosts bounded up to him. "So-chan* looks so cool! Right, Takashi?" The giant grunted, while the person in question held his tongue to bite back any remarks about the name. At least the kid called him cool. "Thanks," Soul managed.

The blond idiot put his hands on Soul's shoulders (did he just not understand personal space?!). "Soul-kun, you will be positioned here. Please do your absolute best to please your guests. When the doors open, bid them welcome. We will say, 'welcome to the Host Club.' Take care to be perfectly in sync with us. If you succeed today, I, René Tamaki Richard de Grantaine Suoh, will personally groom you to become a host. You should strive for that privilege." Once Tamaki (The first Japanese-sounding name that Soul heard) turned around, Soul rolled his eyes, shortly reminded of a certain bluenette ninja.

Tamaki then began walking, followed by Kyoya, the twins, the kid, the giant, and the brunette. Soul followed them to a spot in front of the door. Tamaki stepped out of the line, turning to face the group. "Men! It is time! Our jobs as hosts are to make sure that every woman—or man— who enters this room is comfortable, and taken care of. That they leave satisfied. Happy." The Prince host paused for effect, clenching his fist. He turned to face Soul. "We have a new host. A new brother. Guide him, so that he can utilize the full extent of his talent! Nurture him, so he can grow into a fine man!" Tamaki then turned around, stretching his hand towards the door. "Now, go!" He declared, turning to take his spot in the center of the hosts.

The bespectacled male by him (Tuna Guy*) reached into his pocket for something hidden from Soul's view, and the doors promptly opened, flower petals raining down. Soul looked at the various flowers inquisitively. These didn't look familiar. Were they imported?! Tuna Guy glanced at Soul. "They are Nilofar, Yellow Waterlilies, and Indian Blue Lotus flowers; imported from Florida and Kashmir." Soul blinked. Of course they were imported. Damn rich bastards.

As the doors creaked open, a sudden influx of females piled into the room. The hosts, including Soul, said their signature welcoming line: "Welcome to the Host Club," causing many females to swoon. They then dispersed to their individual stations to tend to their clients. As Soul slouched onto his personal couch, Tamaki raised his voice.

"Ladies and Casanova-kun (Who blushed at the mention of his name, then corrected Tamaki), it is my pleasure to introduce to you to our newest host, Evans Soul! He will be hosting here for a week, and all of you are his judges. Based entirely upon the response of you lovely people, we will decide whether or not Soul-kun is fit to be a host past his week-long testing period. Thank you for your attention." He finished, before settling down in his seat. His announcement was followed by polite applause, and Soul observed many heads turning in his direction.

About half of the girls in the room flocked to Tamaki, who was pleased. Many flocked to the other hosts, and a large portion came to Soul, surprising him.

A freckled redhead spoke first. "I heard that you have a scar! Is that true?"

Soul nodded. He hated that so many people were interested in his scar. 'I mean, it looks pretty badass, but it hurt like hell.'

The same girl spoke again. "That sounds horrible! How did you get it?" Soul furrowed his brow. He did not want to talk about his scar. Luckily the girl spoke once more. "I heard that you got it from fighting a lion!" Intent on disproving the ridiculous rumour, Soul opened his mouth, but was interrupted by another girl—a short, pigtailed one.

"No way, I heard that it was three stray dogs!" Soul was confused. Where were these rumors coming from? And how did they spread so fast?

"I heard that he got attacked by a clowder*!" Soul chuckled at that one, exposing his sharp teeth. Many of the girls recoiled, diminishing Soul's mirth.

The redhead spoke again. "That looks awesome! Does anyone else in your family have teeth like that? My name's Sora, by the way. Lin Sora. My family owns a company that manufactures weaponry; specializing in blades."

Soul grinned at the brave girl. "I had a grandma who also teeth like this. She was a rebel. I guess I got that from her, too. And m'name's Soul. Nice ta meet'cha, Sora." He left it at that, not wanting to speak about his family unless he caught himself in a dire situation. The redhead didn't notice, but instead blushed heavily at the _extremely_ informal use of her name. This pause in her speech allowed time for another girl to pelt Soul with questions. He grinned.

'This actually isn't too bad.'

* * *

Maka sneezed at home, grumbling miserably. She was perched in her favorite spot—the groove by the window—the perfect perch for reading. She dropped the book that she had in her hand onto her bed, before dropping herself onto the sheets and snuggling comfortably. She had attempted reading several times throughout the day already, but she just couldn't concentrate enough. She debated contacting Soul via their soul connection, but thought better of it, deducing that he was probably busy.

Maka's stomach growled. She stared down at it longingly. Even though she was hungry, food just caused her stomach to hurt. She'd much rather wait until the sickness passed on. Closing her eyes, she fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

"Did you get last night's trigonometry homework? I was a little confused with one of the questions..." Haruhi grumbled, pouting.

Maka turned around, surprised. Haruhi was asking her for help! "One sec," She said, maybe a little bit too excitedly. Reaching for her bag, she pulled out her green binder, which was already filled with notes and papers. Taking out the homework, she turned around to give it to her friend, when she felt _it._ The soul of a witch, approaching the building at a fast speed. Whipping around, she gave the completed worksheet to Haruhi, muttering an urgent 'Stay here,' before bolting out of the room, into the main room.

She spotted her partner, promptly heading in his direction, where he was hosting, much like the other hosts had been doing the day prior. But that was irrelevant. Coming up behind him, she whispered urgently into his ear.

"Soul, the witch!"

Soul's lazy eyes widened, and he turned to face Maka. "What? Where? In this room?!"

"No, but it's heading in this direc—!"

One of Soul's clients suddenly spoke. "Hey, what are you doing here? I paid good money to talk to him; if you need him, you'll have to wait your turn!"

Maka turned around, slightly bewildered at the fact that she had been addressed. "I'm sorry, but it's important!"

"Don't give me that! You can talk to him later, he's ours right now!" The female huffed. Maka's eyes narrowed; she didn't have time to be arguing with this annoying girl! The witch would be arriving any second! She was approaching way too fast! Maka's eyes widened. Ignoring the miffed client, she flipped around to face Soul.

"Soul, she'll be arriving any—!"

Maka's words were cut off by the whooshing sound of the witch's arrival. She looked up in time to see the witch crash in through the window, before being thrown back by the blast. She felt a horrible pain in both her head and her leg. Looking down, she saw a large shard of glass in her leg. Pulling it out quickly, she used it to cut strips from her dress and use them as bandages. Ignoring the stinging pain in her head, she stood up, assessing the damage around the room.

First and foremost: her partner had been thrown in the opposite direction as she, and he was just picking himself up. Around the room, people had been pelted with shards of glass, and their injuries were of varying intensity, but luckily, no one seemed to be hurt too bad. She began running towards her partner as fast as she could—the lives of these innocent bystanders depended on it.

A row of large ice stalagmites (that closely resembled teeth) stopped her in her tracks. She slid to a stop mere inches in front of it, glaring at the witch angrily. Said witch had long black hair, and pale skin, with white ears, resembling those of an arctic wolf. Not to mention that she was tiny—a young witch, perhaps? One blue and one red eye sneered at the meister. "Oh wow, Maka Albarn? Mama was right! Of course she was, Mama's always right! She will be very happy if I bring you to her!"

Maka jumped onto the tips of the ice teeth, and leaped towards the witch, aiming a kick towards her. She'd have no choice but to take her down, even if she was just a child. The witch dodged Maka's kick easily, flying to the left. Maka landed in a crouch, and raised her arm to swipe her forehead to remove the sweat the was quickly pooling there. When her hand came back, her fingertips were saturated with blood. Must have been from her fall earlier. 'I have to end this quickly.' Maka ran towards the witch, but feinted at the last second, before making a break for her partner, who looked disoriented.

"Who's that? Your weapon? That can't be true! Because, you're—whoops!" The young witch stopped, before giggling. "Mama wont be happy if I tell you! She told me that you're a smart girl, after all!" The girl giggled more, before her amusement died down. "Mama never tells _me_ that I'm a smart girl..." She pouted at Maka, before smiling broadly. "But if I bring you home, Mama will tell me that I'm a smart girl! She will!" The witch raised her arm, causing ice to shoot out towards Maka and her partner.

Maka pushed herself to run faster, harder. Her legs pumping, she avoided the jagged ice crystals that made their way towards her. Reaching her hand and soul towards her partner, she realized that he was not responding, and quickly kicked him out of the way, landing on top of him in a heap. This woke him up from his stupor, and—after commenting on her weight—the two sprung into action. Soul's body lit up brightly, before morphing into a scythe.

"C'mon Maka, let's resonate!"

"But she's only a kid, Soul! We have to take her back to the DWMA so they can decide what to do with her!"

Soul made a noise of displeasure, but did not argue further. Instead, he settled for calling out times to dodge when the young witch made a move. After a period of dodging and random laughter from the witch, Soul tsk'ed. "This is takin' forever!"

Maka hummed in agreement. "Yeah, and these people need treatment soon! We have to end this." She hefted Soul over her shoulder, charging at the witch. Maka jumped up when she was just before her, and swung her weapon, managing to cut a gash in the witches side. Maka cringed, not liking the fact that she had to hurt a child like this.

"OWW! That hurt!" The witch screamed, wailing loudly. The child pointed to Maka, eyes darkened. "Play time's over!" She sent a blast of ice in Maka's direction, sending her flying back, and separating her from Soul.

Maka gasped, and started in his direction, but was sent flying back by another blast of ice. Her head crashed onto a nearby chunk, rendering her unable to move. Hearing her partner call her name, she reached her soul out in his direction, which she hoped would convey all that need be said. Soul, understanding the gesture, began crashing through ice walls in his partially-transformed state, in an attempt to get his meister. Ignoring Soul, the witch swooped down to Maka, raising her arms threateningly.

"Mama told me that you're a strong girl, so this won't kill you! Wolverine Crystal!"

Maka closed her eyes. There was nothing that she could do. As the crystalline wolf hurtled towards her, she was crushed.

...By a lighter pressure than she expected? Peeling her eyes open, she was met with the last sight she'd ever wish to witness. Soul was sprawled out over her, bleeding from numerous slash marks. He spit out some blood, then smirked audaciously. "I won't let you touch my meister!"

"Soul, stop!" Maka pleaded. She couldn't go through this again.

 _You can't go through this again? But you're not even the one who's getting hit by the attacks. How selfish._

Maka shut her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. At the sound of a pained shout, they flung open again. The witch had hurled another beast of ice Soul's way. "Mama didn't tell me about you..." The child paused, putting a tiny finger on her bottom lip. "That means you're not important!" She smiled widely. Raising her arm, the small girl laughed as she propelled an onslaught of attacks towards Soul. Maka tried to raise her body, but, not only was it being crushed by Soul's body weight, she was sure a few ribs had been fractured—she could barely move.

 _Why didn't you resonate? He even had to tell you, you're so useless._

The witch laughed, sending another wave of icicles towards Soul. "This is fun! You're lasting quite a while! I bet if you were important, Mama would have a lot of fun with you!" Soul grunted as the attack wreaked havoc on his body, while Maka whimpered in pain. The attacks that hit Soul sent shockwaves through her body.

 _He's the one getting hit by the brunt of the attacks! How could you be so weak?_

Maka reached her free arm to cover her ears from the constant screaming that Soul was emitting.

 _So now you're just hiding from it? How shameless!_

 _You're no good for him!_

 _You're too weak!_

 _Just die!_

 _Die!_

 _Suffer and die!_

 _..._

 _I know how to make you suffer._

 _I'll take the most precious thing you have!_

* * *

Maka shot up in her bed, sweating heavily and gasping for breath.

Her eyes widened, as she scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over the rumpled school uniform she fell asleep in. Maka jumped down the stairs, several at a time, before tearing out the front door.

Limousine? No, too long. She'd run. There was no time! Maka pushed herself to run faster. She'd had worse before. Frantically barreling through the streets, she followed her internal GPS. Her soul. She ran and ran—to Soul.

* * *

Two loud claps resonated in the air. Last pickup lines were made, bodies hit the floor, and girls swooned, before groaning in disappointment. As the giant doors closed, the hosts huddled in the middle of the room; Soul grudgingly so.

The Host Club Prince raised his arms grandly. "Kyoya, _mon ami,_ how has our new host-in-training done?"

Kyoya glanced at his computer, already finished with logging in all the profits from the day's hosting. He was looked at the host club's past profits for reference.

 _Host Club Profits_

 _September 4  
62% of Total Female Population_

 _Tamaki-70% (43.4% TFP)  
Kyoya-13% (8.1% TFP)  
Hikaru and Kaoru-9% (5.6% TFP)  
Honey and Mori-7% (4.3% TFP)  
Haruhi-6% (3.7% TFP)_

Kyoya internally nodded. Everything was in order that day. He then checked the sudden decrease that occurred just three days prior.

 _September 7  
49% of Total Female Population (-13%)_

 _Tamaki-70% (34.3% TFP)  
Kyoya-13% (6.4% TFP)  
Hikaru and Kaoru-9% (4.4% TFP)  
Honey and Mori-7% (3.4% TFP)  
Haruhi-6% (2.9% TFP)_

He frowned, recalling the slight panic—displeasure—he experienced when witnessing this decline. Ootoris did not panic. Clicking onto today's profits, his eyes widened.

 _September 9  
79% Of the Female Population (+30%)_

 _Tamaki-45% (40% TFP)_ _ **(-35.6%)**_ _  
Soul-23% (18.2% TFP)  
Kyoya-12% (9.5% TFP) __**(-7.7%)**_ _  
Hikaru and Kaoru-7% (5.5% TFP)_ _ **(-33.2%)**_ _  
Honey and Mori-7% (5.5 TFP)  
Haruhi-6% (4.7% TFP)_

'Soul's profits are more than mine? Tamaki and the twins also suffered great losses! However, overall profits increased by 30% since two days prior, and 17% preceding Soul's transfer into Ouran.' Kyoya raised an eyebrow, impressed. His expectations were exceeded. Not that he would ever admit that. Pulling on his typical emotionless facade, he spoke the results aloud.

"Since last Friday; before Evans-san transferred in; we have experienced a 17% increase in profits. If we compared our profits today to those of two days ago, when we experienced our sudden decline in clients, we gained 30% in profits." Kyoya paused to catch his breath.

" _C'est très bien*,_ Soul-kun!"

"Save your compliments for when I finish, Tamaki." Kyoya cut in, earning a confused look from his best friend. "In today's sales, Soul brought the second-highest number of clients; reaping in 23% of our total clientele. Tamaki only brought in 45%, which is 35.6% less than his usual 70%. The twins also suffered heavy losses, as the brought in 33.2% less then their usual profits. I, myself, lost 7.7%, but neither Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai nor Haruhi lost any patrons."

Kyoya paused to push his glasses up, ignoring the shocked faced of the hosts. "Whereas we normally attract about 62% of the female population, two days ago, when Evans-san first transferred in, we drew in a mere 49%. I suspect that this was a result of his arrival. Upon his joining of the host club, we appealed to 79% of the total female population; over 15% more than we typically did before Soul's transfer. Based on this, I can conclude that he was the cause of our recent fluctuation in profits."

The person in question's jaw dropped in shock, before he covered it up with a smirk. 'So I'm _that_ popular, huh? Figures that they needed a cool person like me here.' Suddenly, he felt a wave of anxiety and panic. His eyes widened. Maka was having another episode! He'd need to hurry home soon. She'd wake up shrieking before long.

Soul began packing up his things in concern for his meister. What would the extra stress do to her recovery process? The voice of a certain annoying blond pierced his thought process, causing his concern to quickly turn to ire. "Soul-kun, don't you want to meet all of your fellow hosts? Come, join us for camaraderie, and—"

"—Sorry, but I ain't got no time for that." Soul forced out, trying to conceal his annoyance.

"Nonsense! At least let me properly introduce you!"

Soul turned around, his indignation hidden beneath his bangs. The other hosts (sans Kyoya, Mori, and the studying Haruhi) wisely backed away from the fuming male, while Tamaki ignorantly blared on. Finally, the blond decided to speak about the subject of the matter.

"This is the Wild, or Strong, Silent Host, Morinozuka Takashi—but we call him Mori-senpai." Tamaki said, gesturing towards said host, who nodded in return. "This is the 'Boy Lolita host, Haninozuka Mitsukuni, or Honey-senpai." The short male shivered in fear of the intensity of Soul's glare. Instead of introducing himself, he cowered behind Mori's leg.

Tamaki cupped a hand around his mouth, and came close to Soul's face in order to whisper to him. "He's actually the oldest one here, even older than Mori-senpai." Soul refused to let his surprise show on his face; he had more important things that he needed to be doing. He pushed the self-proclaimed 'prince' out of his face.

Tamaki continued, undisturbed, as if he hadn't just been shoved. "The two are our resident third-years, and are cousins." He then turned a hand on the twins. "These two are the Mischievous-type hosts. Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin; both first years." The twins shot Soul shaky grins, before embracing each other and shaking. Soul ignored the two.

" _This_ is my _lovely daughter,_ HAAARUHIII!" Tamaki exclaimed, cleaving onto the distracted brunette. In the resultant crash, Haruhi was squished to the couch, and her papers flew in several directions. The squealing blond failed to notice the darkening aura of the trapped female, and, in his ignorance, was unprepared for the verbal onslaught that he received. After sulking in his corner (at which point Soul threatened to leave), Tamaki returned to Soul to resume his introduction. "My lovely daughter HARUHI is our Natural Host, because she is just _perfect!_ " Soul felt his anxiety increasing, along with his impatience.

"Just hurry it up, dammit!" He burst out angrily, brash as per usual.

The blond bounced back into place, pointing at Tuna Guy. "This is my best friend, Ootori Kyoya! _Mon ami_ is a second-year, like myself, and also the Cool type!" Soul's eyes narrowed at the name. But once again, he had no time to waste. The blond then launched into a monologue, during which Soul's anxiety increased tenfold. He began sweating due to the pressure that his soul was feeling. Maka was awake.

'Fuck it, I'm leaving.' Speedwalking to his personal couch, he began hurriedly packing up his belongings, ignoring the protests from the annoying blond.

Tamaki suddenly appeared in front of his face, looking disgruntled. "That was quite rude, you know! Ignoring your prince during such an important speech!" Soul then felt something horribly unsettling. The soul of his meister, strained, and advancing in the direction of the school. "Oh, Death, Maka!" He muttered in English, before pushing past Tamaki, and rushing towards the door. There was no way he could wait for this idiot to finish his babbling.

Forgetting to bring his bag in his panic, Soul quickly exited the room, frantically searching out for the soul of his meister. 'Why the hell is she out of the house?!' The door slammed loudly shut behind him, leaving a room full of confused hosts in his wake.

* * *

Tamaki stared at the doors quizzically. "Maka? Who's Maka?"

The twins scampered up to Tamaki. "What's wrong, Tono?"

The blond turned to them, still confused. "Oh, it's nothing, really. Just that Soul-kun said something weird in English before he left..."

The twins donned the same expression as Tamaki. "Weird?" "How so?"

Tamaki shook his head. "He said, 'Oh, Death, Maka.' Isn't that weird? Doesn't it go, 'Oh, God?' And who's Maka?" The host turned to his best friend. "Do you know, _mon ami?_ "

Kyoya shook his head, jotting something down in his notebook, before pushing up his glasses. Tamaki and the twins returned to the inner circle, the short phrase quickly forgotten.

But of course, not by the Shadow King.

* * *

Soul ran as fast as his legs would take him (pretty fast), and then willed them to go even faster. Even as they screamed in protest, he accelerated his speed with one person on his mind. His heart jumped in his throat as he felt Maka's soul strain in fatigue. Following the familiar path that the limo took for bring him to school, he spotted her—Maka—running as if she was being chased by the kishin. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was sweaty, and pale. Her eyes widened slightly in recognition as he came into view, but it seemed as if she found herself unable to stop, and she crashed into his chest at full speed. Luckily, she wasn't that heavy—not that Soul'd ever admit that.

When Soul righted Maka to steady her, he was fully prepared to voice his complaints to her, until she collapsed. Eyes bugging out of his skull, Soul caught Maka by the waist, hoisting her up. She clutched his uniform, shivering, and looked at his face. "You're safe..." She muttered, clearly struggling to hold up her head, before coughing violently, and vomiting. Soul patted her back as she continued to gag. When she finished, he righted her again, before speaking.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" Soul replied shakily. This was the first time his meister had ever been this sick. His voice hitched at the end, when Maka's eyes drooped closed, and her body weight suddenly collapsed. Sputtering out broken sentences and curses, Soul fumbled in his pocket for his phone, while balancing Maka on one arm. Quickly calling for a limo, he dropped the phone, but ignored it, staring at the road next to him anxiously.

When the limo arrived nearly 15 minutes later, Soul was nearly in shambles. Jumping into the back seat with the suddenly fragile-looking form of his meister, he shouted "Hospital!" at the driver, who nodded, before speeding off. Soul stared out the window, watching the zooming background. He couldn't stand to look at his meister's face—not when it was so pale; so different from how he was used to seeing it. Shouting a quick "Faster!" at the limo driver, he whipped his head back to the window. He could no longer feel the gentle waves that his meister's grigori soul typically emitted, even in her sleep.

And that scared him the most.

 ***Sherwani: According to Wikipedia, a sherwani is long coat or jacket from Indian culture that usually has buttons down the entire length, and ends just below the knee. It's traditionally worn by the groom for his wedding, in white, cream, or gold.**  
 ***Dupatta scarf: A scarf sometimes worn with sherwani. It's typically worn across both shoulders, but can also be worn like a cape. Some Muslim women wear dupatta to cover their faces. There are many trends for this article of clothing!**  
 ***So-chan: For those of you who can read basic hirigana and katakana, and happen to be interested about the pronunciation, it's** **「ソっちゃん」** **. That is the specific sound I wanted for it to have, but So-cchan or So-tchan would look weird. Therefore, if you know how to read this, I'm happy! P.S. Google translate probably wont help much if you don't understand what** **「っ」** **means.**  
 ***Tuna Guy: In case you didn't remember from last chapter, Soul mistakes Kyoya's surname (Ootori) as Otoro, which is tuna belly, often used in sushi. Because of this, Soul mistakenly refers to him as 'Tuna Guy.'**  
 ***Clowder: A group of cats.  
*C'est très bien: 'That's very good' in French.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the extreme lateness, but I'm taking my first AP class, and it's crazy! I'll start working on the next chapter** _ **right now**_ **, as an apology. Furthermore, I still need help with the first scenes. Did you even read that garbage, or did you skip over it, barfing? Seriously. It was terrible.**

 **Next, I'm sorry for the Kyoya's lengthy and very boring explanation with all the math and percentages and things. Yes, I actually calculated all of it myself. If you're as big of a nerd as me (or you're just bored), try checking it, and if there's something wrong, please tell me. But I'm pretty sure you guys are more busy reading other stories, right? It's all good.**

 **Lastly, I still need votes. Maka is rotating around, trying all the hosts' stations before she chooses one to stay at for the remainder of her time at Ouran. Who will she end up with? Please cast your votes! There's a poll on my profile, and you can vote by commenting. You may vote once per chapter.**

 **Thanks so much for reading! I hope I'll see you next time! I guess I can't say week anymore, because my updating is kinda sporadic now... ;-;**

Posted: September 13, 2015  
Updated: September 15, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	11. Smelly Hospitals and Lectures

**A/N: I am SO sorry for the lateness!** **I had a ton of stuff going on for the past few weeks, and had barely enough time to write, although I managed to write a few paragraphs most days. I'm so so so sorry that you had to wait so long, even though I had said that I'd have regular updates... ;-; I still haven't lost my drive for this story, though! Still going strong! Just having too much homework and not enough time!**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **Kairi671: Thanks, sorry you had to wait so long for the next one DX  
Anonymous: Thank you so much! I'm sorry for the long wait! I totally understand-that was me for like, three years.**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!**

 **Mental-Internecine  
Ookami Sakura  
SkaianClouds  
TabKinesis  
Tyrandale  
Yoshida Haru  
fangirl01music  
ninjaofJesus**

 **AND THE FAVORITES!**

 **300PASTA  
1000 Faces of Pain  
FandomFreak121  
SkaianClouds  
Yoshida Haru  
ninjaofJesus**

 **I apologize to ALL of you for the horrible lateness! And without further ago, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 11: Smelly Hospitals and Lectures**

Soul tapped his foot nervously as he waited for the verdict of the doctor. In all the years he and Maka were partners, she had never been this sick. Not that he knew of. Maybe before their souls connected closely enough to have overlapping feelings, she did, and no one decided to tell him. Or maybe she told everyone not to. That seemed very Maka-like. What if she was relapsing? Soul narrowed his eyes. He'd have to interrogate Maka later. When she was well.

Picking up a nearby magazine, he nearly slammed it back down on the table in anger. On the cover sat one of the last people he wished to think about during his stay in Japan. Doing so only served to infuriate him, after all. Not that it didn't when he was back at home, but knowing that he had a higher chance of running into the person here in Japan soured his mood. A thick, dark cloud of miasma rose up from Soul's body, filling the room with an oppressive tension.

"Kida Haruka, parent or guardian, please?" A dismal voice drawled.

Soul shot up, aura instantaneously dispelled. He stalked over to the women at the desk, whose gaze was fixated on the desktop in front of her. She was chewing a wad of gum loudly, and had paused mid-chew in order to speak. "Relation to patient please?" She droned, clearly bored, glancing at Soul quickly. The woman's eyes widened as she performed a double-take, and promptly choked, attempting to stifle it with a poorly-conducted cough.

Soul ignored the women's reaction. "Roommate." The secretary visibly deflated, before she spoke up again with a sultry voice.

"Well, a parent or guardian needs to pick her up." She all but purred, twirling a strand of her hair.

Soul rolled his eyes irritably. " _Well,_ she doesn't _live_ with her parents, but she's wasn't conscious when she arrived to be able to tell anyone that."

The woman placed a manicured finger on her chin, looking up thoughtfully, before she looked back at Soul. "Well, I like my job," she paused for dramatic effect, " _But,_ it couldn't hurt to put in a call for you to see if you qualify for easy access." She said flirtatiously, before spinning to face her computer. "Name?"

Soul clenched his teeth. There was no way around it.

"Evans Soul."

The lady suddenly froze, mouth gaping like a fish, while Soul blanched slightly. Another woman from behind the counter poked her head around the gobsmacked one, taking one look at Soul, and sighing heavily. Pushing past her frozen colleague, she sighed once more, before bending down in front of the computer. "Sorry, she's always like this. Evans Soul-san, was it?" At Soul's hesitant nod, she tapped a few keys lightly. After a few seconds of clicking, she smiled, looking at Soul. "Well, you're already on the easy access list; judging by your age, it must be because you are one of Kyoya-sama's friends. Just go on ahead to room 474; third floor. Oh wow, what bad luck*..."

As Soul hurriedly beveled on his foot to start towards the elevators, the woman at the desk snapped out of her stupor. Reaching an arm out to grab Soul's school vest, she raised her voice alarmingly. "Wait, you're the younger child of _the_ Evans' family, right? Can I have an autograph?!" Soul batted her hand from his uniform. Turning around, he glared at the woman coldly. Narrowing his eyes further for good measure, he finally turned around, ignoring the pleads of the woman. He had hoped to avoid his name, but he had already run into someone who knew about him.

Turning on his heel, he ignored the gasps and whispers that bloomed around him. It seemed that he'd have to deal with his surname sooner or later, to his dismay. But he'd deal with that later. Getting to Maka was his top priority.

"Don't you recognize who he is?!" Soul heard the secretary squeal at her co-worker. His eyes trailed back to glance at the magazine he had thrown. He scoffed and turned his face from the eyes that were nearly identical to his, staring at him smugly from the cover.

* * *

Soul threw open the door, frightening the young nurse who was checking up on his meister. Not that he cared to apologize. "What's wrong with her?!" He instantly demanded.

The nurse, after placing a hand on her chest and breathing deeply, smiled sweetly. "The doctor has just stepped out for a bit to send the blood samples to the lab for a bit. I'm no doctor, but as far as I've seen, she's just got low blood pressure, and a little fever. Of course, the bloodwork hasn't gone in yet, but I'm sure it's nothing too bad." Soul exhaled at the words of the middle-aged nurse, collapsing into a chair by Maka's bedside.

He stuck his hands deep inside his pants pocket, staring nervously at Maka's pale form. He would have liked to have faith in the nurse's diagnosis, but he still couldn't feel his meister. He glanced at the nurse, whose back was turned, and quickly clenched his meister's hand. It was still warm, which offered a bit of relief.

When the door opened suddenly, Soul's hand flew from Maka's as he turned to face the intruder. He came face to face with a polished, professional-looking woman in a lab coat. "My name is Koizumi Ariel." The woman held out a hand for Soul, which he shook. The young doctor then lifted a clipboard that had been resting at her side, and wasted no time in delving into a discussion about Maka. "From what I have currently gathered, Kida-san has both low blood pressure and glucose levels. She is running quite the fever, so for the time being, it would be best if she stayed here for observation for a few days. We need to perform certain tests when she regains consciousness. Visiting hours end soon; you'll need special permission to stay overnight. Please make the necessary arrangements, or prepare to leave by seven. Do you have any questions or concerns?" Soul paused, then shook his head. "I see. Well then, take care." Koizumi stoically said, before turning and leaving.

So it appeared as if Maka's condition wasn't severe so far. Soul would have loved to rejoice in the fact, if only he could feel his meister's soul. Soul frowned.

"Don't stress about it. She'll be fine." The woman in the back sounded, reminding Soul of her presence. Soul looked up at the smiling nurse, and offered a slight smile in return.

The woman walked closer to Maka, replacing a bag that was connected to a tube feeding the needle in her arm. She glanced at Soul's terse expression, and sighed lightly. "You remind me so much of my son..." She mused.

"That so...?" Soul glanced at her. The woman shook her head, hooking the bag onto the rolling stand by the bed.

"Don't mind me. Press that button if anything happens." The woman bid farewell, stepping out of the room. Soul's shoulders drooped, and he allowed himself to openly stare at his meister. He sighed heavily, depressed. 'What should I do? Call Stein? He could probably do something about this. But what'll happen if I leave her...' Soul shook his head. 'If anything else happens, I'll go to the house and call back home.' Soul thought determinedly.

All adrenaline left him, as his intense train of thought sputtered to an end. He folded his arms, and reclined in the surprisingly comfortable chair. His eyelids slowly drew closed, as he threw one last glance towards his partner.

'Hurry up and get better soon, Tiny Tits.'

* * *

Kyoya's eyes strayed away from his computer, and landed on the antics of the host club. His best friend was currently attempting to stop the 'evil doppelgangers from messing with his daughter!' His eyes wandered to his blond senpai, who was cheering Tamaki on, to the giant towering over him, and to the flailing Natural Host being passed unwillingly between the twins.

Kyoya internally nodded at the group, taking note of its abnormality. His musings were cut short by a buzz from his phone. He sighed. Even at school, he couldn't escape the fangs of his father, huh? Bringing the device up to his ear, he answered clearly.

"Ootori Kyoya." Kyoya paused as an unfamiliar voice flooded his ears. She introduced herself as one of the secretaries of one of the Ootori hospitals. After stuttering her introduction madly, she finally disclosed that one of his friends had been admitted to one of his family's hospitals. Kyoya's eyes flicked to his group of friends, who were horsing around merrily. It was likely Kida, he deduced, judging from the state she had went home in two days before. The secretary's quivering voice confirmed his thoughts a moment later. He listened quietly to her rambling diagnosis for a moment, before interrupting. "I see; thank you for notifying me." He said firmly, before hanging up.

He looked up to see his best friend staring at him intensely, which quickly garnered the attention of the remainder of the hosts. "What is wrong, _mon ami?_ "

Kyoya pushed up his glasses before replying. "Kida is in the hospital."

Then all hell broke loose.

* * *

"MY DAUGHTER!" Tamaki screamed, bursting through the doors of the Ootori hospital. He was flanked by a wailing Honey, and two panicking twins. Immediately, the group was approached by a buff security guard. While Mori faithfully stayed behind to watch over his charge (should anything arise), Kyoya walked ahead to the desk to ask for his kouhai*.

'Room 474,' Kyoya repeated in his mind. He glanced back towards the group. 'Noisy strangers these days,' He thought, walking in the direction of the elevators. 'Third floor,' His mind recited. He didn't have to ask to know that the room was on the third floor; having grown up in the Ootori family, it was common knowledge to him that there were two hundred rooms per floor in each of the hospitals that his family owned. When the doors opened, a young nurse stepped out, pushing a cart. When she caught a glimpse of Kyoya, she practically melted into a steaming, blubbering puddle. "K-K-Ky-Ky-Kyo-Kyoya-sama!" The teen ignored the woman, walking past her to punch in the button to close the doors.

Walking out onto the third floor, he received similar reactions from many other staff members (including men), unsurprisingly. One woman even bumped into him, and promptly fainted. After tending to her—after which she nearly fainted again, but changed course to run off to her co-workers and most likely brag—and making a few more turns, Kyoya knocked lightly on room 474, before entering at the lack of a response.

Kyoya experienced the slight feeling of having intruded upon the scene he walked in to—the newest host snoozing beside his childhood friend, arms crossed and slumped over to the side to rest on the hospital bed. But even before the raven-haired male had fully entered the room, the napping host began to stir, sitting up to rest his lazy vermilion eyes upon his schoolmate.

Soul had sobered up quickly, recrossing his arms to sit stoically by Maka's bedside. His eyes saddened briefly; he still was unable to detect his meister's wavelength, although her soul was still clearly there. It was just quiet. Unmoving. So unlike her.

Kyoya regarded the flash of emotion without comment, before sitting down on the couch in the corner of the room and opening up his black notebook. Aware of the eyes on him, he broke the silence to answer the silent question. "I suggest you brace yourself. The others will be arriving in a moment." Soul simply grunted in response, blinking the last traces of sleep from his eyes. The two quickly lapsed into a strained silence.

Moments later, Soul's eyes snapped to the door as he heard rapid footsteps advancing in the direction of the room. His eyes remained trained on the door, as he listened intently to the sound, honing his senses on the advancing group. He was almost positive that it was just the band of weirdos, but he had to be sure. When he heard the frantic voices that confirmed his suspicions, he calmed, and turned his gaze to the wall across from him. During this action, he noticed the other (conscious) occupant of the room observing him.

"What?!" Soul snapped.

The male furrowed his brow, staring at the door. After a few seconds, his brows raised. "...You have a very acute sense of hearing."

Soul huffed. "What of it?" Kyoya shook his head in response, but scribbled a few notes in his notebook. Soul turned back around, grumbling to himself under his breath.

* * *

It was no surprise to either of them—Soul and Kyoya, that was. The noisy ones were coming. If the frantic footsteps and chorus of failed whisper-screams were any indication. Therefore, it came as no surprise to either male when the doors flew open a few seconds later.

"MY DAUGHTER!" Tamaki screamed, flailing towards the bed unabashedly. Both Honey and Mori moved to prevent their 'prince' from crushing their newest 'princess,' but a white blur beat them to it. Soul had placed himself in front of the bed, and had smacked Tamaki to the side before anyone could blink.

Mori slowly drew back, receding to stand by his flabbergasted cousin. Even he felt the same as the openly gaping blond, although he gave no indication of it outwardly. Tamaki nursed the wound in a corner, griping about his face, while the twins laughed merrily. Meanwhile, Haruhi stepped up to bed to gaze at the face of her unconscious friend. Bending slightly, she reached to touch Maka's hand, flinching at the coldness. Mori noticed, putting a hand atop her head, and ruffling her hair affectionately. Honey ambled up, following his cousin's lead in his own way. He squeezed Haruhi's waist tightly. "Ha-chi'll be okay, Haru-chan!" He turned towards his junior. "Right, Kyo-chan?" Kyoya nodded in response, causing Honey's smile to widen. "See? It'll be okay!" He detached himself from Haruhi, and began to dance a jig, Tamaki and the twins joining in happily.

Soul, however, glowered in the corner, unable to partake in the celebration. He was still beyond worried. Three sets of eyes glanced at him discretely.

* * *

Soul sat alone in Maka's hospital room, replaying the events of the past few hours. The hosts had quickly become bored, and entertained themselves by playing various card games (that Haruhi had taught them, and demonstrated with her own deck), before moving onto riddles. When the nurse had come to announce that visiting hours were over, Tamaki had protested profusely, before being dragged out by the twins. Soul had outright ignored the nurse, who had threatened to call security before Kyoya interfered. The nurse was skeptical about allowing Soul, a boy, to stay in a girl's room overnight. Soul realized that her skepticism was valid. He was used to no one commenting about his rooming situation. There were many opposite-sex partners that lived together in Death City, after all. After Kyoya gave him permission to stay for the night, he had quietly left with the remainder of the hosts. That Haruhi chick lingered a little, but it was only to glance at Maka once more. She left after a few moments, waving politely to him.

Soul sighed, exhausted, despite having slept before. Simply being in the presence of the Host Club drained his energy. He slumped over onto Maka's bed tiredly. Deciding that it was too uncomfortable, he moved the couch by her bed and laid down to sleep. Closing his eyes, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Soul was woken up by the sound of two nurses whispering outside his room. Groaning, he flipped over in an attempt to get more sleep, but to no avail.

"I wasn't so sure about letting a boy sleep in Kida-sama's room, but since Kyoya-sama said so, I had no choice. I checked on her a bunch of times during the night, but he really didn't do anything! He just pulled up the couch by her bed and slept."

"Aw, that's so adorable!"

"Mmm-hmm. I wish _my_ boyfriend was like that."

Soul flushed irately. He was not adorable—he was cool, dammit! 'I can't believe I didn't wake up when she came into the room last night... I guess I was dead tired from that retarded Host Club...'

"Well, I'm going to just change her IV, then go home. I'm beat!"

"Yeah, the double shifts are horrible, aren't they?"

"Girl, you know it. See you tomorrow."

Soul's thoughts were still groggy from sleep, so the nurse's words didn't register in his head until he heard the creaking of the door. He slowly sat up (still too sleepy for fast movement), and yawned loudly. His eyes rested lazily on the nurse who was fumbling with some equipment in the corner of the room. She turned to face him, and smiled. "Good morning." Soul grunted, earning a laugh in response. "To think that you stayed here the entire night. You're quite dedicated." Soul rolled his eyes. The word paled in comparison to the extent of the loyalty he had for his meister. "That's quite rare these days," she continued. She sighed at his lack of a response, and replaced the old bag with a new one, full of fresh saline fluids. Soul observed her quietly, until she left the room.

He reclined on the couch. What time was it? He raised his wristwatch to his face. _1:48 PM._ Way too late to go to school. Not that he'd go to school, when Maka was in the hospital, anyway. It didn't matter if he failed his classes here; it wasn't like he was going to college. He'd just evade death (he was too cool to die), killing kishin eggs until his bones were too brittle to move nimbly. Then he'd retire and die. 'But my cool legacy would live on forever, of course.' He thought contemptuously. As his mirth faded, he looked around the room for some way to occupy himself. In the midst of his conquest, his stomach rumbled loudly. Oh, right. He hadn't eaten since the morning of the day before.

Grudgingly, he stood up, running a hand through his hair, and straightening out his clothes to the best of his ability. Soul walked to the door, but turned to stare intensely at Maka's face. He waited a few moments, almost tempted to forego breakfast—lunch—to stay with her, but an urgent growl from his stomach reminded him of his famishment. He exited the room, walking towards the elevator. He wandered to the secretary desk, where many professional-looking people were stationed. "Any place near here where I can get some food?"

The one he stopped in front of smiled politely. "For the convenience of our overnight patrons, we have a separate building complete with a cafe and shower rooms, which include basic morning supplies, as well as clothing. You'll find it if you walk out here," she gestured to the double doors in front of her, "and a few meters to your left." She completed her statement with another smile.

"Thanks."

"Of course."

Soul walked out of the double doors as directed, and, true to the secretary's word, he noticed a medium-sized building a few meters to his left. He entered the building, giving his name to the man at the desk, who confirmed his overnight stay via computer and then welcomed him, pointing him out to the showers, bathrooms, storage lockers, and cafe.

Soul headed toward the showers first, grabbing a towel and a change of clothes from a large selection, which was conveniently organized by size. Fifteen minutes and a warm shower later, he was on his way to the cafe for a bite to eat. Pulling out his wallet, which he retrieved from his school pants, he glanced up at the prices, eyes widening. '12 dollars for a single croissant?' He hadn't seen such prices since he lived with his parents, and he hadn't known the value of money—especially money that you had to work for—back then. 'Well, it's not my money.' Soul shrugged, pulling out his credit card. He ordered two croissants, some scrambled eggs, and a black coffee (even though he didn't like it, it made him look cooler—he could indulge when he was back home). He willed himself to look away from the price, lest he burst out into any uncool reaction.

Biting into his croissant gratefully, he nearly groaned as the warm, buttery taste flooded his tongue. These people sure knew how to do their croissants! Sadly, it was over way too fast. Soul sighed contentedly, his warm breath exuding the last of the buttery scent from the croissant he had just gobbled up. Rubbing his stomach, he got up to throw away his garbage and head back to Maka's room. The hosts would probably be there again... He cringed.

Walking into the hospital, he flinched at the cool air, and then crinkled his nose at the smell. Ms. Marie always managed to sneak some air fresheners into the hospital wing, so it didn't smell nearly as bad as this. Not needing to ask for the way, he followed her dormant soul up to her room. Situating himself in the couch that he had moved, Soul decided to catch up on his sleep. If the hosts decided to visit again, he'd need it.

* * *

A crowd of girls gazed at the double doors of the Third Music Room nervously. What could this mean?

 _'Due to an unprecedented emergency, the Host Club will not be in session this afternoon.'_

"Tamaki-sama!" A voice cried out.

"Honey-senpai!" Another wailed.

The anxious mass of females became restless, and the volume of the hallway rose quickly. As a few teachers heard the commotion, they peeked out of their rooms to see the situation. Coming out to help, the few staff members did little to curb the Host Club clients.

Meanwhile, the very people behind the catastrophe sat in a limo, joking around.

" _Mon ami,_ I am so happy that you so easily agreed to cancel the Host Club today to visit my daughter! I knew that you cared!"

"Actually, I was needing to speak with Evans about—" The rest of Kyoya's statement was masked by Tamaki's wails of anguish. In the ten minutes that it took the Host Club Prince to calm down, Kyoya silently bristled until his annoying best friend's antics died down.

"Tamaki, I'm sure that it is in your best interests to control yourself in my family's hospital. Your behavior yesterday was atrocious." Kyoya sat back, ignoring Tamaki's whines of protest, in favor of working on his laptop. By the time the group had reached the hospital, his cries had receded, and he was frowning in confusion, as the twins tricked him with a cheat in the card game they were playing. Just as he was about to throw his cards down in anger, the driver alerted the group to their arrival.

The hosts exited the limo from the door that the driver had politely opened for them, and walked through the hospital doors, Tamaki nearly having a breakdown at the thought of his 'daughter' in a hospital bed. However, when numerous whispers of admiration reached his ears, his ego quickly inflated, and he winked flirtatiously at many of the female staff members.

The twins quickly partook in the spur-of-the-moment hosting, followed by the rest of the hosts, sans Kyoya and Haruhi. The brunette in question sighed heavily, shaking her head, clearly disappointed.

"I thought we were here to check up on Kida-san, not flirt. Damn rich bastards." She turned around to face the blindingly threatening smile of the Shadow King.

"Excuse me, Haruhi, please take care not to lump me in with those hooligans. And watch your tongue." He smiled again for extra measure.

"S-Sorry Kyoya-senpai." Haruhi shivered, before following him to the room, leaving behind the remainder of the hosts. Haruhi shuffled nervously behind Kyoya, feeling quite intimidated by the aura that he was emitting. "Is something the matter, Kyoya-senpai?" The person in question paused for a moment, before pushing his glasses and halting before the elevator. Pressing the 'up' button, he glanced at the female beside him.

"I have not the slightest clue what you are speaking of."

Haruhi frowned, but didn't push the matter. Kyoya was the last one to irritate, after all. The ride up to the third floor was utterly silent, and very tense. Haruhi trailed behind her senpai quietly, until they reached the room. Kyoya knocked politely, before entering the room, and Haruhi didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed. Her veridian-eyed classmate was on the bed, pale as she'd been the previous day. Soul was perched on the couch, staring at her and Kyoya, as if they were unwelcome. Maybe they were. 'Well that's just too bad, because Kida-san doesn't belong to him! He better not be like the twins, secretly...' Haruhi tried to imagine the albino teen looming over the girl, forcing her to do his bidding. Haruhi cringed. That was definately not happening on her watch. She stalked across the room to the scowling teen. If Kida-san can stand up to this guy, so can I!

"You. Why are you with her all the time? She can live without you, you know! You can't stay cooped up in her room all day, and then glare at us like you own the place! And you're neglecting your studies, too! Open your eyes and be grateful! Not everyone can just skip school and not have to worry about being expelled, unlike you rich bastards!" Haruhi huffed, ignoring Kyoya's reaction to her last statement—pushing up his glasses, of course. "Go home, get yourself together, and then get back to school! You can't stay here forever, and she doesn't need you here!" She ended her tirade, poking his chest threateningly. When Soul stubbornly refused to react to her rant, she threw her hands in the air and muttered a quick excuse to Kyoya, before storming out the room. 'Stupid rich bastards...' She stalked to the end of the hallway, quickly finding the restrooms on her own, and rushed into the female one. Resting against the sink, she began her attempt at calming down, berating herself for exploding so suddenly. She just couldn't stand people wasting opportunities over stupid things! Not everyone was as fortunate as them!

As she mulled over her words, she wondered if she could've been a little less rude. Even if every word was true! She hung her head. Kyoya-senpai would definitely be increasing her debt for her rudeness!

* * *

Soul glared at the other occupant of the room, who looked back at him coolly. Dammit, he was the cool one! Bringing back the short brunette's words to his mind, he frowned deeply. His thought process was broken by the other male speaking.

"I apologize for Haruhi's outburst, but I believe her words hold some truth. Kida's health doesn't depend on your presence, and I assure you, the security at this hospital is top-notch, if that is your concern. Due to your capriciousness, we have had to suspend the Host Club for today. You were granted the chance to join due to the profits we believed you would bring. However, if you are not back to hosting by tomorrow, I assure you that you will be out of the Host Club before the day is over." Kyoya turned from his junior, and exited the room.

Soul bristled in the quiet of the room. Thankfully, there were no loud machines—like when either he or Maka had gotten badly injured during a mission and had to be hooked up to multiple machines—to disturb his thoughts. Why was he being lectured?! Yeah, he knew Maka didn't need him to be there, but who were they to tell him so? They didn't know him!

* * *

Haruhi stepped out of the bathroom, refreshed. She had calmed down, and was on her way back to the room to apologize to Soul. It wasn't her place to reprimand him. Wiping her hands carelessly on her suit pants, she looked at the number of the nearest room. _443._ Heading in the direction of the increasing numbers, she such attention to the nameplates that she was startled when someone suddenly rammed into her. Haruhi lay on the ground confused, as the nurse scowled down at her angrily.

"Just _what_ do you think you're doing with Kyoya-sama?! Stay away from him!" Without waiting for an answer, the stuck her nose in the air, and stormed away. As she turned the corner, Haruhi heard a bit of her conversation with another nurse.

"Why the heck would you do that?! Are you trying to get fired? What's wrong with the boy, that he got you so worked up—"

"—That's a girl! I saw her going into the girls' restroom!"

"W-what?"

"A girl! Just what is she doing with Kyoya-sama, masquerading a boy? Especially when he's still eligible for being married off! If this leaks out, Kyoya-sama's reputation will be in tatters!"

"But you can't just—"

The rest of the conversation died down, as the voices became too far away for Haruhi's ears to detect. She frowned, picking herself off from the floor. Was she really detrimental to her senpai's reputation? Pushing the thought to the back of her head, she continued her way to the room, taking care not to bump into anyone on her way. Reaching room 484, she knocked lightly, before entering the room. As expected, Soul was still in the room, and glared upon her entrance.

Ignoring the evil eye set directly on her, she moved in front of the bed, to look at her friend. Glancing up, she was met with a heavy gaze still set upon her, and she repressed a sigh. "I apologize for my outburst earlier." She paused, gauging the reaction of the male in front of her. "However, you do need to go back to school." As much as Haruhi would've liked to lecture him about his negligence of schoolwork, she held her tongue. "I mean, what would Kida-san want?" Haruhi left it at that, and bent down to touch Maka's hand, like she had done the day before. She sighed heavily, before leaving the room.

Haruhi pressed the button for the elevator. Had she done everything to present her case logically? She thought it over. She'd have to control herself, if she wanted to be a lawyer someday. Walking inside, she pressed the button for the lobby, and sighed. 'Mom, am I doing this right? Do you think I got through to him? Was I too pushy?' Haruhi sighed, deciding that there was nothing she could do about it. Stepping out onto the first floor, she spotted Kyoya walking into the hospital from the front doors, to the group of hosts, who were _still_ flirting happily. Haruhi walked closer, and was intercepted by the twins.

"Oh no, did you leave us to go check on Haruka-chan without us?" Hikaru dramatically started, squishing her body between his and that of his brother. Kaoru took this opportunity to turn from Haruhi and clutch his brother's chin endearingly. "I would never leave you like that, Hikaru!" Hikaru blushed, and looked into his twin's eyes. "Stop that, y-you're embarrassing me..." Kaoru only intertwined his fingers with Hikaru's, and smirked flirtatiously, which earned the pair the squeals of many nearby nurses.

Haruhi, having been tossed to the side during the act, looked to the side to see Kyoya pulling Tamaki away. "Come now, my business here is finished." She took that as the cue to leave, and, ignoring the group's unanimous pleas, walked towards the limo—reluctantly so, these rich bastards were so wasteful!

* * *

Soul quietly simmered in the hospital room. What would Maka want? He would know that more than anyone! And like he could care less whether he got kicked out of the Host Club or not. He only joined because... Maka wanted him to... He frowned. She would be angry if he got kicked out, wouldn't she? He tousled his hair angrily. Dammit! As much as he wanted to stay, he'd have to leave, or else he'd get kicked out of the club, and Maka'd get mad at him again. 'Not that someone as cool as me can't deal with Maka getting mad—it's just a hassle, and we're on a mission.' His mind quickly supplemented. He had no choice. He'd have to leave when visiting hours finished (getting up early to go to school was enough of a problem, but getting up even earlier to call someone to take him back to the house? Hell no!). But judging by the time, he had a few hours left. He stared at the large TV directly in front of Maka's bed. Why didn't he think of that before? He visually scanned the room for the remote, but his search turned up fruitless. Grumbling, he got up to manually search. He was in the middle of rummaging through the desk beside Maka—which was mostly empty, save for some magazines, papers, and hospital brochures—when he heard some chattering outside the door.

"I just can't seem to figure out why she's not awake yet."

"Who, Kida-sama?"

"Yeah. It's been stressing me out lately."

Soul's eyes narrowed, as he paused in his conquest for the remote. He focused on the conversation.

"Why don't you do an MRI*?"

"Yeah, I was planning on doing one later today. Hopefully that'll give me some answers."

Soul didn't know what an MRI was. But since it apparently was going to be done to Maka, he had to know. He righted himself and opened the door, searching for the voices, which happened to be right outside. Butting to the conversation, he immediately cut to the chase.

"What's that?"

The one in a lab coat (rather than the nurses' uniform), which he recognized as the one who had spoken to him about Maka before turned to face him. Her face lit up in recognition.

"Ah, forgive me, but I've forgotten your name."

"Evans Soul."

"Yes, Evans-san, what was your question?"

"What's an MRI?"

"It's a sort of X-ray, which I'm going to use in order to determine what's wrong with Kida-san." She explained. Soul's eyes drooped.

"You're not gunna find out that way..." He muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Nuthin'. Thanks, uh.."

"Doctor Koizumi. And no problem." Koizumi turned back around to the nurse she had been talking to, and they walked away, speaking in large, complicated medical terms that made Soul's head hurt. He returned to the room, and resumed his quest for the remote. Upon discovering it in the drawer within the first few minutes, he facepalmed. Turning on the TV, he glanced at the time. _4:16._ 'I guess others aren't coming. Thank Death.' Soul laid down on the couch lazily, folding his arms behind his head. He had a few hours before he had to go home, so he flipped to a sports channel, and smirked. He shot one last glance at his prone meister, frowning. He turned his head back towards the TV, his attention quickly stolen by the orange ball being bounced around.

 ***Bad luck: Four** **「四」** **(Pronounced "shi" or "yon")** **、** **is an unlucky number in Japanese because it can be misunderstood as** **「死」** **(Also pronounced "shi")** **、** **meaning death. Seven** **「七」** **(Pronounced "shichi" or "nana") is partly unlucky because of the "shi" in the pronunciation.**  
 ***Kouhai: Junior, or underclassman. The opposite of senpai.  
*MRI: A method of scanning the body that uses a giant magnet and radio waves to examine organs and other bodily structures.**

 **A/N: Again, super sorry for the lateness! I wrote a little over the weeks, every single day! I know it's SUPER late again, and today's _SATURDAY_... Ugh... I can't believe I've actually wasted over two weeks... ;-; I actually fell asleep right when I came from school a couple of days ago until the next morning... And I was up all night the day before that doing homework (that might have been the cause for that mini-coma), too... And I have a test with 50 questions, and around 100 questions to define for my AP class... And I also have a lot of work to do for my science research class... ugh... Not to mention I was sick for two days... But I'm feeling better, and I'll try to pick up the pace. Unfortunately, I doubt that I can keep it for long. But I'll try my _best!_ I'm SUPER SORRY for all the excuses... **

**I still need references to good fight scenes, and votes for who Maka ends up with (Maka is trying out all the host club stations before she chooses one to stay at for the rest of her time at Ouran, who should she choose?); you can vote once per chapter; please do!**

 **I got my drive back, I'll write more tomorrow, and hopefully go back to updating regularly! Sorry for the wait, guys! See you... next time... ;-;**

Posted: October 3, 2015  
Updated: October 3, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	12. Squashed Rumors and Notes

**A/N: Um... Hey. It's not Thursday, but it's been a week... and a day. Sorry! I posted it yesterday on wattpad, but I was just too tired to do it here...**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **1000 Faces of Pain: I'm so happy that you're happy! And even though it was horribly late, too... Thank you for your input! *tallies vote*  
Yoshida Haru: I love this comment. XD And I agree, he has a hard life. Especially after writing another story idea yesterday, it has been in my mind all day, and I'm just thinking about how much drama he has to deal with. XD**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!**

 **RuinedCreation  
New Moon9889  
SpinningHyperCookie**

 **AND THE FAVORITE!**

 **RuinedCreation**

 **Sorry again for the lateness, guys! Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 12: Squashed Rumors and Notes**

Soul stretched out with a smile on his face, as his game ended. His favorite team-only the best team ever-had won again. Of course. He flipped over to glance at his meister.

"Oi. Tiny Tits. Wake up already." After waiting a few moments, he sighed, and sat up, stretching his arms and legs out. He had been sitting down for hours.

He turned his attention to the door. Having stayed at the hospital for quite some time now, he was used to the hurried footsteps of nurses and other hospital staff outside his door, and eventually tuned most of it out. Except when it halted suddenly in front of the door. Like now. He honed his senses on the shuffling footsteps outside. Were they going to come in?

Finally, the door squeaked, almost shyly, as a meek-looking nurse stepped in. Pointedly avoiding his eyes, the nurse scuffled around Soul to the back of the room, to fiddle with some equipment. He raised an eyebrow in mute mirth. When the nurse had done all she could have done in the room in terms of maintenance-twice-she took a deep breath, and turned to face Soul. "U-um, s-sir, vi-visiting overs are, I mean, _hour_ s are, um, over." The nurse then darted out the room, nearly tripping over her shoes in the process.

Soul frowned, clearly reluctant in standing up, yet he performed the task anyways. He gathered his things (not much; just the change of clothes provided by the hospital), stretching the task out as long as possible. Finally, he turned to face his meister. Against his will, his face fell. He could always back out, and quit the host club before they could kick him out. That's what a cool guy would do.

 _"I mean, what would Kida-san want?"_

Haruhi's words suddenly reached the forefront of his mind. To add salt to the wound, he could hear his inner conscious hissing at him. 'A cool guy would make the girl happy,' it corrected. A deep frown etched itself on Soul's face, as his legs began moving from under him. He refused to put his actions into thoughts or words. He'd not be tempted this far in the ball game. He walked out the room without looking back.

* * *

A loud, shrill squeal pierced the air of the Ootori household. A dark aura quickly rose around a certain room, leeching into the surrounding hallways. Maids scurried away from the immediate vicinity, terrified for their lives-and jobs. When Master Kyoya was like this, he could-and would-fire people at the drop of a hat.

A well-manicured hand curled into a fist, crushing the small device on the table to pieces. It sputtered to a stop, and landed in a mangled heap; various parts of machinery strewn across the room. From under the covers emerged perhaps the very reincarnate of the Devil himself. A pair of feet heavily dropped onto the floor, as another hand reached out from the bundle of comforters in search of a pair of glasses. The frame easily bent under the pressure of the Shadow King's hand.

A string of curses flowed disjointedly from badly chapped lips. A tongue quickly flitted over them, moisturizing them somewhat. For a moment, the bundled mass twisted to face the headboard. From under one of the many extravagantly-fluffed pillows, a phone was retrieved and turned on, with much more care than the poor alarm. A loud tune filled the room with its incessant sound as the screen flashed on, garnering a hiss and a flinch from the sole occupant of the room.

Dark, red-rimmed eyes squinted at the screen, as the raven-haired boy sent off a quick text for a new pair of glasses. Kyoya Ootori curled deeper into the covers, glaring at anything his gaze fell upon. His current object of fixation: the deep magenta curtains, which blocked out the sun from reaching his room just perfectly. Well, it would have been perfect, were it not for the sliver of light creeping in from the crack between the two sheets. He'd have to fire the maid who closed them improperly.

Suddenly, the door slammed open loudly, and in pranced none other than Fuyumi Ootori. "Wake up, Kyoya~!" She sang happily. Dark eyes positioned the most terrifying glare that they could muster up in their worn state on the young woman. Unfazed, she trotted over to the windows. Kyoya's eyes widened, and he reached out, becoming partly disengaged from his blankety haven in an attempt to halt his sibling in her tracks.

"Fuyumi, no!"

The young woman ripped open the curtains without hesitation, continuing her rant. "Kyoya, you need to open up the windows in here, it's way too dark!" The addressed youth collapsed back onto the bed, face-first, as he loudly condemned the world and all of its inhabitants-his sister most of all. Fuyumi continued scolding her brother unabashedly. "I leave home for a little bit to tend to my needy husband, and come back to _this?_ Just _look_ at all this mess, and your room is just so _dark_ and _moody!_ " The light reflected off the young woman's obsidian locks as she bent down to pick up a pair of jeans from the floor. She brought the dark cloth to her nose and cringed, tossing it clear across the room into a half-filled hamper. "You have to clean your room, young man! Just who do you think is going to do it when you're older?!" She pointed a finger at him accusingly.

"The maids. Go _away,_ Fuyumi." Kyoya's words were muffled slightly, as his face was still mushed onto the covers.

His sister acted as if she hadn't heard. "That is a _horrible_ mentality to have. Get up and _clean!_ "

Kyoya grumbled, turning his head to rest his cheek on the bed. "Fuyumi-Fuyumi, stop, don't touch my things!" He growled, eyes landing on her current activity of organizing his clothes. His sister turned a glare on him, before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, you have to go to school today! Hurry up and get ready! But don't think this is finished; you're cleaning up when you get home today. I will _personally_ tell the maids not to clean up for you."

Kyoya's shoulders slumped. In some feeble attempt to retain some masculine pride, he pointed at the already retreating back of his sister. "Get out of my room..."

But of course, today was just not his day. His sister turned back to look at him, and he braced himself for some new lecture. Instead, she just called a short sentence before leaving the room promptly. Unfortunately, her words caused a grave look to fall upon his face, as his features darkened further. As the last of her black curls turned around the corner, he pinched the bridge of his nose irately. Unfortunately for him, there was no avoiding it.

"Oh, and Kyoya, Father wants to speak with you."

* * *

An experienced hand curled into a fist, and punched the screeching device mid-ring. It flew across the room into the hallway, where it broke into pieces. A deep groan rang loudly across the room. Soul shifted around on the bed tiredly. He had slept more than usual that night, and yet he was even more tired than he normally was. Even the absence of his meister's nightly terrors bothered him. The lack of the familiar anxiety he typically felt was unnerving.

Heavy eyelids threatened to shut closed, as Soul fumbled under the pillow for his phone. As his fingers moved across the plush fabric, it edged closer and closer to the end of the bed, before it slipped from under Soul's head, landing on the floor with a soft thud. Soul growled, reaching a hand out to flail aimlessly and uselessly for his lost pillow. Quickly giving up, he flipped onto his back, splaying out his arms on either side of his body. Closing his eyes in frustration, he hoped to Death that he'd have the patience to wear out the day. Especially the end of it.

Soul threw the covers off of his body, shivering from the cold. Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stretched, and got up to get ready for the day.

* * *

Kyoya rubbed the water out of his hair with a towel, and walked into his room from the connected bathroom. He nodded at the ironed uniform spread out on his bed. Shrugging off his towel, he began mentally preparing himself for whatever his father had to say.

A few moments later, a fully dressed Kyoya raised his cool grey eyes to the mirror in his room. Nodding, he exited his room, and descended the large staircase. As he walked into the kitchen, he noticed two things: his glasses set on the table in front of his usual seat at the table, and his father seated on the opposite side of the long table.

"Good morning, Father." Kyoya greeted, moving to take his seat.

"Kyoya." Yoshio returned.

Kyoya picked up his new glasses, putting them on. His father watched him perform the action, then cleared his throat, pushing up his glasses. "It is of my understanding that one of the staff members at the third hospital was fired by your hand."

Kyoya nodded, confirming his father's words. Yoshio continued. "For what reason was this?"

"Blatant disrespect to a visitor."

Yoshio closed his eyes. "And who authorized this action?"

"No one."

Yoshio nodded. "I see." He paused for a long moment, before clearing his throat once more. "It would do you well to know your place." He stood up, and left the room promptly. Kyoya pushed up his glasses and closed his eyes. After a moment of quiet, he picked up his silverware and began to eat.

* * *

Soul flicked off the TV, unable to concentrate on the moving figures. Stuffing the last bit of tamagoyaki* in his mouth, he glanced at the time. His eyes widened. He was going to be late! He slurped up some milk and ran outside, completely bypassing the limousine. He stopped in front of the garage, smirking as it opened. _Naturally,_ he had gotten his motorcycle shipped over for the mission. The orange and black bike shone in the sunlight, causing Soul's smirk to intensify. He attached his bag to the side, and then sat comfortably on the leather seat to start it up. The engine purred. 'Oh, yeah. He missed this.'

Tearing out of the driveway, his white hair ruffled freely in the wind. Helmet hair wasn't cool.

In less than ten minutes, he arrived at the school (he was sure he had broken a few laws, but who cared?). Slowing to a stop, he looked around for somewhere to park. There didn't seem to be any parking lot, and class was going to start in a few minutes! 'Wait, why do I care?' He thought seriously for a moment. 'Well, Maka'll kill me if I don't get decent notes for her.' He internally pardoned himself. After 30 seconds of searching, he gave up, parking the bike in front of the school. 'No one better not steal it, I'll kill them.'

Soul leaped up the steps, heading for his class. He slid to a stop in front of the door, throwing it open. Several sets of eyes turned his way, which he ignored (coolly, of course). As he walked towards his seat in the back, the bell rang. 'Right on time.'

He plopped into his seat, ignoring the whispers that erupted at his amazing arrival. Mr. Matsumoto cleared his throat. "Calm down, everyone. The bell has rung, so class has begun. Evans-san, please refrain from making flashy entrances like that one from now on."

Soul smirked, tousling up his already wind-ruffled hair. "Sorry, sensei." His smirk faded, as the teacher cleared his throat to begin lecture. Groaning, he took out a random sheet of paper to begin writing. He just knew his hand was going to hurt like hell by the end of the day.

* * *

"Good game! Go get dressed!" The gym teacher called out. Soul, along with the rest of the class (the portion that had actually participated that day) dispersed to head to the locker rooms. Soul quickly stood under the shower to get rid of the sweat that had accumulated over his body, before toweling off near his personal gym locker. He then began stripping to stuff his sweaty clothes in said locker.

He rolled his eyes at the gasps that erupted throughout the room when he removed his shirt. He pulled his arms into his school uniform, covering his scar quickly. He didn't need rich brats in his face, poking their spoiled noses into his business. As he rushed to button up his shirt, the same boy who had gawked at his scar two days earlier practically bounced up to him. "Oi, oi..." To Soul's dismay, the boy immediately smiled, and began bombarding him with questions.

"Where'd you get that scar? I heard a lot of things about it!" Soul raised an eyebrow as various murmurs of agreement rose up among the people in the room. What kinds of things were people saying about him? Not that it really mattered, though. As soon as Maka woke up, they'd finish up this mission quickly, and leave. Heedless of Soul's silence, the over-exuberant boy continued.

"Like... That someone in a gang came for you when you were little, but you escape within an inch of your life!" Soul rolled his eyes at the ridiculous rumor. He buttoned up his vest. "Hey, is that true? It's true, right?" Ignoring the kid, Soul began putting on his shoes. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a taller boy come up to the yammering student.

"Hey, boy! Don't waste your time with the new kid. I've never heard anything about the second son of the Evans' family in the news." Soul flinched, turning to glare at the newcomer. The boy was tall-probably just as tall as he, in fact-with blond hair and green eyes. But not like Maka's. They were sharp, and condescending. Over his right eye was a small scar, and he was muscular, too. In a sport, perhaps? The boy continued his rant. "If anything, he's completely disappeared from the media's radar. And we all know that that almost never happens." Murmur of agreement invaded Soul's ears as the boy smirked. Pearly white teeth flashed quickly, as the boy looked around, raising his arms for added emphasis. "For all we know, the scar's just a fake, and _Soul-kun_ here is just looking for attention."

Soul picked up his bag to leave. This was why he hated people. At DWMA, people didn't mess with him-they knew that he was strong. But here, he had to start from scratch. And with ignorant, rich people, no less. Pfft. Like hell. This was only a mission. He'd be out of here in a few months. He could stand some smack talk. This was a waste of his time. As he stood up, the boy's words suddenly began shooting out faster. "See? He's leaving. He's not even going to deny it. Too much of a wimp to know what real pain is. I knew it. There's no _way_ that that scar is real." Soul turned his back to the boy, and walked towards the door. He had to get to the host club before they thought that he-

"-It's a shame that cute girl is always hanging out with him."

Soul suddenly stopped walking.

The boy grinned. "Oh? Did I hit a chord?" He threw his hands around the shoulders of the smaller boy next to him and smiled wider. "Ah, she could do so much better than hanging out with a faker like you. I would take her, but she hangs out with scum like you." He brought his hands up to scratch his forehead. "What's that thing that you scum like to say? Oh yeah-power in numbers, right?" He sneered. "You scum gotta stick together, ri-"

Before the kid could finish his sentence, Soul had stalked up to his face, grabbed his collar, and pushed him to the wall.

"Hey, he's the captain of the boxing club!"

"Yeah, does he even know how many tournaments he's won?"

"He's the one of the best martial artists in this school!"

"The new kid's done for."

Soul watched as the praise went to the kid's head. He positioned his green eyes on Soul, smirking confidently. "Big mistake, _scum._ " The boy reached out a palm to push Soul's hand to the side. Soul let him, wanting to gauge his skills. Something like what Maka would do. He watched the boy ready himself into a fighter's stance calmly. What would Maka do? In a regular battle, Maka worked the strategies, while he called out whatever her eyes missed. But in this situation, he was both the weapon and the meister. He observed, as the boy tensed his muscles with a cocky smile on his face. Soul prepared to dodge, keeping his posture lax. If he showed that he didn't care, the boy would probably get angry.

As predicted, the boy swung a fist at Soul, but missed, as Soul easily sidestepped the move. "Oh, so you've got some moves, don't you, you scum?" Soul ignored the taunt. He was pretty stubborn, and this kid was already nearly seething. Just a bit more, and he'd become reckless. "Too bad!" He yelled, preparing to uppercut Soul.

'Too easy,' Soul thought, sidestepping again. The kid lashed out again with a leg aimed towards Soul's stomach, which he avoided by jumping backwards. Soul smirked, which the kid returned. Around the small locker room, people began hollering and making bets. Soul lazily stood, bored with his observations. He motioned for the kid to come towards him. As expected, he took the bait, yelling, and charging towards Soul with a plethora of melee attacks. Soul maneuvered around them easily, and took a few leaps back, waiting for the kid to lash out at him again. Immediately after the thought, the boy charged, jutting out his leg to throw a kick at Soul. Soul jumped over the appendage, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder to propel himself over his head. As he catapulted over the boy, he shot an upside-down smirk at him mid-air, before landing cleanly on his feet with his back to the boy. The boy flipped around, a livid look on his features and began speaking. "Okay, enough circus tricks, you-"

Soul once again stalked up to the boy, this time with a hard glare adorning his features. He pushed him to the wall, easily batting away his punches (Maka's were a thousand times worse). Slamming a fist into the wall beside the boys head, he glared straight into his eyes. "Don't you fucking _dare..._ " Soul hissed lowly, voice raising at the last word. "Talk about her like that." Soul suddenly ripped off his shirt, buttons flying every which way. He grabbed the boy's hand, and placed it on his chest. "Feel that. You know where I got this? Protecting _her,_ that's what. Don't you fucking _dare_ try to tell me that it's not real." He then threw the boy's hand to the side. The boy retracted it immediately. "You wanna call _me_ a wimp? Try again when you're not one yourself." He spat, turning around. " _Scum._ "

As Soul walked away, the boy sprang up again quickly, an arm aimed at Soul's head. "Never turn your back on-" Soul turned around and grabbed the boy by the very arm he had aimed at him. Using the momentum from the boy's attack, he flipped the boy over, slamming him onto the ground. The boy groaned, glaring harshly at Soul, then smirked. "My family is bigger than yours... My dad will be hearing about this..!" Soul glared back with even more ferocity. "Oh, so you're turning to your money now, huh? You coward."

Soul picked his fallen shirt up from the ground, then pulled his arms through the sleeves, holding it closed by the one remaining button. He then turned to the door, picking up the bag that he had dropped earlier. "And FYI, I'm not affiliated with my family anymore."

* * *

Kyoya looked at the time in the corner of his screen. The host club was to open in fifteen minutes. Sighing, he closed the laptop, and walked into the kitchen to set it on the table there. No one would dare touch it, lest they face his wrath. He returned to the main room with his notebook, and began observing the typical antics of the Host Club.

Tamaki flailed behind the twins, as they dragged Haruhi with them, while running away from the Host Club Prince. The girl had given up resisting ten minutes ago, and seemed to be in deep thought. As she was passed like a hot potato between the twins, the began to mumble.

"Huh?"

"What're you saying, Ha-"

"-ru-"

"-hi?"

The short brunette looked up at the two. "Nothing, just wondering where Evans-kun is."

Hikaru and Kaoru shared a look. "It's too bad, Haruhi, he's probably still with Haruka-chan in the hospital." Hikaru started.

"Yep, and Kyoya-senpai told us that if he doesn't come today, he'll be kicked out!" His brother finished, shaking his head.

"Is that so...?" Haruhi mumbled, but went ignored as Tamaki cut in.

"I believe that our Soul-kun can make it! Men! You should believe in your comrades!" He declared. The twins clapped appraisingly in the background, while Honey jumped around, shaking his maracas.

* * *

As Soul ran down the hallway with his map in-hand, he looked at his clock, eyes widening. The Host Club was due to open in six minutes, and he wasn't there yet! He had to make it on time, or else he'd be kicked out! 'If I get kicked out, Maka's going to kill me!' He thought, making a few more turns.

At the four-minute mark, he turned around one last corner, sliding to a stop in front of the third music room. He threw open the doors, just as the hosts were lining up in their Spanish garbs. The twins clapped at his appearance, as Tamaki placed a hand on his chin and nodded. His eyes passed over Tuna-guy (he liked the nickname) writing something in his randomly-spawned notebook. That guy was just like Maka! Maybe they'd get along? Shaking his head, he let the doors slam behind him.

Tamaki gestured to the twins triumphantly. "Hikaru, Kaoru, show Soul-kun his clothes! Soul-kun, please dress quickly, the ladies are expected to arrive in a few minutes!" As instructed, Soul speedwalked into the changing room, the twins tailing him. He threw off his shirt, ignoring the twins' gaping expressions again. Grabbing the flashy-looking clothing from the two, he quickly shed the rest of his clothing, throwing them on. They quickly forgot about their shock, critiquing his appearance between each other (although he could clearly hear them). He rushed outside with the twins, standing by the rest of the hosts. Soul could hear female chattering just outside the wooden doors. Tamaki joyously applauded Soul's efforts, before briefing the hosts-plus Soul-again. Soul tuned it out, and resurfaced when Tamaki concluded his speech with a booming, "Open then Host Club!" Kyoya pressed a button from a small remote, causing the giant double doors to creak open.

"Welcome to the Host Club!"

* * *

Soul sat down comfortably in his chair, chatting with his clients. Sora, the weapons expert who had requested him last time, was engaged in a conversation about weapons with him. One of the girls suddenly called out to him. "Hey, pay attention to us, too, Evans-kun."

He turned to face her, rubbing his neck. He had to do his best, before he got kicked out. Maka would have his ass if that happened. "Ah, sorry."

"I guess I'll let it go, since you're not experienced, like the others." She purred. Suddenly, Sora cut in again.

"So, I heard you went up against Shou-chan and won?"

Sora grinned. "Wataru Shou? He's the captain of the boxing team. And also my fiancee."

Soul's eyes widened. "Oh, sorry about that..." 'Wait, how did they find out so fast?'

Sora grinned again, cheekily. "Don't worry about it. Knowing him, he probably started it in the first place, anyway." Soul nodded gravely.

"Don't look so down, Soul-kun! So? What did he do?" Sora asked.

The client from before cut in. "You didn't already know? Everyone's talking about it. How Wataru-san started talking about how Soul-kun's scar is fake, and that he and that girl he transferred in with-Kida-san-was scum. And you know what? He didn't even react to the taunting, until Wataru-san talked about Kida-san! And he beat him up really fast, too! Like he was playing with him!"

"Ehh, that means you're really strong, aren't you, Soul-kun?" Sora mused.

"And really gentlemanly, too!" Another girl cried out.

"And loyal!" Someone else inputted.

Soul blushed slightly at the onslaught of compliments, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"AWWWWWWWW~!"

* * *

A familiar two claps sounded, signalling the end of the hosting period, as per usual. Soul ignored the groans, immediately springing up to grab his things from the kitchen.

"Where are you going, Soul-kun? Don't you want to spend some time with us in camaraderie, and-"

"-No, thanks." Soul said, cutting off Tamaki. Grabbing his bag, he exited the room before any more arguments could be made.

Tamaki gaped at the doors in shock. "How rude! If he becomes a host, he will need to be properly educated!" The twins came up behind him, nodding furiously. Then, they shared a glance.

"Hey, Tono."

"Why don't we follow him to see what he's up to?"

"That is a great idea! _Mon ami_ , let's go!" Tamaki cried, teleporting to his best friend's side.

"No."

"No? _Mon ami_ , how could you! We have to take care of our newest child!" Tamaki wailed, pouting. Quickly abandoning his tactic (Kyoya seemed to be unaffected), he retreated to the corner, and began sprouting mushrooms.

"Tamaki-senpai, don't grow mushrooms in the corner!" Haruhi reprimanded.

"HAAAAAAAARUHIIIIIIIIIII! YOU'LL COME WITH DADDY TO FOLLOW BROTHER, WON'T YOU?" Tamaki screeched.

"No."

"MOMMY! OUR DAUGHTER IS BEING MEAN!" Tamaki wailed, clinging onto Kyoya, who had been pinching the bridge of his nose for the past minute and a half. As his best friend continued to whine, more and more veins began appearing on his forehead.

" _Tamaki_." He grit out, halting the addressed person in the middle of his sentence. "If I comply with your shenanigans, will you be _quiet_?" A large smile spread on the blond's face, as his eyes sparkled brightly.

" _Mon, Ami_ -!"

* * *

Soul exited the school, quickly finding the limo with the skulls decorating it. "The hospital." He requested, before reaching for his bag, and looked through it, finding the detailed notes that he had taken that day. He had thought about what Haruhi said to him that day, and decided that reading the notes to Maka would make her even happier. Even if there was a chance that she wouldn't hear him. Replacing the notes at the forefront of his bag, he resealed it, and turned to the window.

"Sir, we're being followed." The limousine driver suddenly spoke. Soul turned to peer behind them, noticing another limousine creeping up behind them. "Please hold onto something," The driver said, before stepping on the gas, hard. The tires squealed as the limousine drifted around the block with a sharp turn. Turning left again, Soul looked back behind them. As the limousine turned the corner, he caught a glimpse of seven familiar faces. Soul shook his head. "Faster, please."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Soul walked into the hospital, crinkling his nose up at the smell. Damn, he hated hospitals. Taking the elevator up, he internally counted how much time he had until the Hosts found him. Probably fifteen, twenty minutes.

Walking out onto the third floor, he followed a familiar path to Maka's room, opening the door without hesitation. A middle-aged nurse turned around, gasping.

"Oh! You startled me-oh, it's you again. Welcome back." Soul's eyes widened in recognition. It was the woman from before. "I was just replacing her IV. I'll leave you now." She bowed, before leaving, smiling all the while.

Soul shook his head, and walked further into the room, scanning his eyes over it. It seemed that the couch had been moved back. He walked over and pulled it by Maka's bedside. He then opened bag, pulling out the notes he had set at the top.

"Uh, I heard that maybe people can hear things when they're asleep sometimes. And I thought, since you're a bookworm and all, you'd like to hear your notes from school, I guess. So, um, I brought them." Soul awkwardly mumbled. He cleared his throat, bringing the paper up to his face. "A one-to-one function is a function in which no y-values repeat. Being a function, none of the x-values..."

* * *

The limousine pulled to a stop in front of a familiar Hospital. Tamaki's eyes widened, as he began to speak. "Hey, this is where Kida-hime is!"

The twins looked at the building. "You're right, Tono! That little sneak-" "-Ditching us to see Haruka-chan like that!"

The group filed out of the limo to find their missing host. "Uh, Tamaki-senpai? What are we even here for? We find Evans-san, and then what?" Haruhi asked, but went ignored. The person in question was bickering with the twins, as usual. Mori looked down at her, and ruffled her hair, gaining her attention. He glanced at Tamaki, then shook his head. "No point."

Haruhi laughed. "Yeah, that's probably true, isn't it...?" Mori offered a smile in response.

The seven filed comfortably into the spacious elevator. It was filled with ambient chatter, coming chiefly from Tamaki and the twins. Honey babbled to Mori and Haruhi, who chatted lightly as well. When the elevator stopped, the septet piled into the hall, making a beeline for the room. When they arrived, surprisingly, Mori stopped them from entering the room. "Listen." He supplied.

"...repeat either. The function is onto if both the domain and the range are..."

After straining their ears, the group was clearly aware of Soul's voice narrating notes without receiving a response. Honey smiled fondly. "Let's go, Tama-chan."

Tamaki pouted. "Whaaat? But I need to talk to my son about his rudeness..." He whined quietly, on the verge of opening the door. "Come on, Daddy. We can go to the Haruhi's house."

Tamaki's eyes widened, and Mori moved quickly to staunch the squeal that would have definitely gotten at least six of the group kicked out. Haruhi's head quickly snapped towards Kyoya, and she opened her mouth, but Kyoya was prepared.

"I will remove 10,000 yen from your debt."

That quickly shut her up. The septet filed back into the elevator, Haruhi bracing herself for the incoming headache. She sighed tiredly, mapping out what she'd make for dinner, and how to divide her homework to be able to finish it for the next day.

* * *

"...and ziggurats suggested that religion was an integral part Sumerian culture. And, uh that's the end of today's notes." Soul fidgeted in the sudden silence of the room. Suddenly, his stomach growled, providing him with a means of escape. "Oi, I'm leaving now, Tiny Tits. Hurry up and get better already. See you tomorrow." Soul said, leaving the room with a heavy heart.

 ***Tamagoyaki: A type of Japanese omelette. It is formed by rolling up a thin omelette and cutting it into bite-sized, cylindrical pieces.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the lateness! I was going to post it yesterday (Like I did on wattpad), but I was just so sleepy, I gave up after posting it there... Here, I'd have to save it as a document, then put the author's notes and dedications and stuff, which would take about 15 more minutes, and I was just way too tired for that. Sorry for my laziness. XDX**

 **Please suggest stories for me to study fight scenes, and vote for which host Maka ends up with! Maka's trying out all the hosts' stations before she stays at one for the rest of her time at Ouran; which one should it be? You can vote once per chapter, plus there's a poll on my chapter!**

 **I'm having a lot of fun reading the comments that you guys leave. They honestly brighten up my day, especially the long ones!**

 **Sorry that it's a bit shorter than normal... And for the horrible fight scene... I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless! See you next week (I hope)!**

Posted: October 11, 2015  
Updated: October 11, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	13. Nothing

**A/N: Hey, guys and gals! Uhh... Sorry for the lateness... Again... And also for the fact that I updated yesterday on Wattpad, and not here. It's because I have to redo all the line separators and do the A/Ns and reply to comments and stuff... Sorry!**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **SpinningHyperCookie: How'd juu know it was 5k? O.o XD Welp, I had been doing 6k for a couple of chapters, and that was just a little bit less than what I had been used to, and I was lazy and rushing... I was actually going to put Maka's cut scenes in that chapter. And yes. Soul is amazing. :3 I hope by making him so amazing, I'm not making him a little unrealistic or anything...  
fangirl01music: *Tallies vote* Lal, I actually wasn't thinking that people would vote for him XD *Adds to poll on profile*  
Guest: Thank you! I love these animes too! Here's your chappy! :3  
Guest: Only time will tell... Huehuehue.  
Xireana Prime: Sorry for the lateness, and thank you! Here, enjoy!  
PricelessImperfection: Thank you so much... ;w; When I read this comment, I was high the entire day.  
DevilAkemi: "I hate suspense" *Adds more* XD Sorry! Lol, I hate it too, but it's so fun to write. :3 Here's your update!**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!**

 **killerxkoala23  
PricelessImperfection  
Agent DJ of Awesomenary SpyInc**

 **AND THE FAVORITES!**

 **killerxkoala23  
PricelessImperfection  
Xireana Prime**

 **Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 13: Nothing**

Dark. That was the first thing Maka noticed when she opened her eyes. The inky blackness, spreading out infinitely in all directions. She felt awfully small against the vast backdrop.

She couldn't see her own fingers, even as she brought them to her face. It was very dark. Maka's eyes furrowed. Yes, it was dark, but, why did she feel so empty? She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. She inhaled slowly, mentally assessing her situation. It was dark. And also very cold. And she felt empty. Why?

A chill passed through her body like a wave. She shivered. It was horrible.

So cold. Empty. Something wasn't right; she could feel it in her bones, harsher than the chill that permeated them presently. No, even deeper. The depths of her soul churned in a state of restlessness, aching with a horrible emptiness.

Her soul. It pulsed weakly. Sadly. Why did she feel so empty? She pressed her fingertips into her temple, willing herself to think.

Nothing.

* * *

Soul sat up in bed, chest hurting. He clutched it angrily. This wasn't the first time. Ever since Maka had fallen unconscious, he had felt strangely empty. He tsk'ed. It was because he had been so used to her wavelength, that the absence of it was wreaking havoc on his soul. He threw the covers off, and immediately started for the front door, pulling on shoes and a hoodie as he went. He grabbed his phone right before he left, slamming the door behind him. He then began to trudge towards the spacious backyard.

His steps were heavy, scaring away all the surrounding wildlife as he plowed deep into the forest. Once a satisfying ways away from the villa, Soul growled, as numerous scythes materialized around his body. He began slashing at trees madly, bringing down the wildlife around him in a flurry of blades. The thick trunks of century-old trees could not even slightly withstand his blade—it passed through like butter, doing little to subdue his rage. Entire canopies fell by his feet, and he crushed the branches and sprigs, stomping his next biennial victim.

His anger quickly increased in intensity. Twigs flew by his face, slashing his cheek slightly. The small cut began slowly regenerating, almost instantly.

Suddenly, muted jazz music blared from his pocket. He pulled out his phone, tsk'ing at the number on the screen. He tapped at it angrily, halting the piano mid-break.* Retracting his blades, he followed the path of demolished wildlife back to the villa. A crimson drop of blood dripped from his cheek.

* * *

Soul quietly fumed for the first ten minutes of the ride to school, before calming for the remaining duration of the ride. By the time he arrived at Ouran, he had cooled down enough to ensure that no one would notice his discontentedness. Exiting the limousine, he strolled into the school to get to class.

Of course, his appearance was greeted with gasps and whispers, as it had been since the first day he and Maka transferred in. He ignored them, and sat down in his seat to wait for class to begin. The teacher was not yet in the room, and he was bored. He reached into his pocket for his phone.

"Soul-kun, what happened to your cheek?" A girl question, pouting. Soul raised his eyes to meet hers, eliciting a stunted gasp and an immediate blush. He watched as she swayed, but did not fall. Commendable.

"Nothing. Just a little cut." Soul said, avoiding the question completely. He hadn't thought of any excuses for his cut. Not that the girl seemed to notice.

The girl squeaked, turning redder by the second. "T-take care of yourself!" She stuttered, before collapsing into the arms of her companion. Soul chuckled, causing a blush to spread on the faces of many of his female peers.

The door then swung open, revealing the slightly flushed face of Mr. Matsumoto. "Sorry for my lateness, class," he breathed, wiping sweat from his brow. "Family emergency."

The bell rang overhead, signalling the start of the class period. "All right, class, time to begin." Mr. Matsumoto said, clapping his hands several times. The class dispersed, breaking up their herds and groups to go to their respective seats. Mr. Matsumoto opened up his large folder, and cleared his throat.

"All right, class. Does anyone know what an imaginary number is?"

* * *

Nothing.

She ground her palms into her temple, annoyed at her brain's lack of a response. Think!

She sighed, after a moment. Or maybe two. Three? She didn't know. Her perception of time was all messed up. Her perception of everything, really.

Up? Down? She didn't know. Time? She didn't know. Where...? She didn't know!

The silence was deafening. Unsettling. She felt her skin crawl, as another cold chill hit her. She shivered.

Maka squeezed her eyes in concentration, hoping for some memory to come back to her. She huffed, after a moment. Or two. Not that it mattered much. What mattered was finding out where she was.

She thought again. Nothing. Again. This would be difficult.

But she wasn't a quitter. No, not Maka Albarn. She replaced her hands on her temples with renewed vigor, willing herself to think more. About what? Not even that, she knew. Anything. Even just one clue. Just one clue. Just one. Just...

Nothing.

* * *

Soul threw his bag over his shoulder, happy to finally be out of his French class. Why was he even learning French? Because he had to, for the sake of international missions. In fact, he was expected to be bilingual by the end of the next year. 'Tsk. Time limits are not cool.'

He stuffed his hands in his pocket, and walked out the door, trying to keep his face from contorting into a glare. Way too much effort to be cool. As he glanced outside the large window that ran along the expanse of an entire hallway, a student—one he had never seen before—bumped shoulders with him. Soul turned around, face set in a frown.

The boy turned to face him and smiled, holding his hand up in an 'I surrender' position. "Hey man, why you look so angry? Chill." His statement did nothing to diffuse Soul's displeasure, and he waited for the student to explain. "I heard about your fight with Wataru. Awesome, man." He held up his fist to Soul.

Soul smirked, smacking his fist against the other student's. "Thanks." The two then parted for their respective classes, which were opposite in direction. Soul slipped into his gym class, and glanced at his watch. He was a full three minutes early. 'Humph. New record.'

* * *

Soul walked out onto the gym floor, joining the line of boys on the sidelines.

"No teacher?"

"I wonder who's our sub."

The chatter quieted as the door slammed open. A dark-skinned man stepped in, and dropped a thick binder on the bleachers heavily. The room went completely silent.

"Alright, ladies! Now, I don't want no screwin' around with you bunch of meat tossers." A booming voice shouted, coming from a surprisingly old man. Or rather, he looked old. In reality, he would've looked much closer to his actual age, if only he didn't yell as much as he did. As he began speaking, a few whispers rang out among the students.

"Dammit, it's the Warden!"

"God, I knew I should've skipped today!"

"But he doesn't allow skipping!"

"I meant school, stupid!"

Soul glanced to his side. The Warden? Just who was this guy? He returned his gaze to the gym instructor.

"You!" The man pointed a wrinkly finger at a short, bald kid. Unfortunately, the student was talking to his friend, and neither heard the old man. The rest of the class went silent, as the old man's face became darker and darker. He finally snapped, and stomped towards the pair of conversing students. A hand slammed down on both of their heads, smashing them to the floor. "Both of you! Drop down and give me two hundred! And if you fail, you're getting detention for two months." The boys groaned from the floor, trembling. The bald one looked up at the gym teacher in disbelief.

"Wait... Y-you're kidding, r-right?"

He received a glare in response. "That'll be two hundred an' fitty, for your talking back."

The boy paled, and dropped to the floor to begin.

"Oh damn, the Warden's done it again!"

"Two hundred? That kid's never gonna make it; you see how scrawny he is?"

"He'll manage twenty at best."

Soul turned around to the chatting pair next to him. "So, we're just gonna skip gym and watch these two do pushups?"

The two turned to him. "Naw, they won't last long. At best, twenty." The student talking turned to point at the scowling man. "His name is Shadis, but everyone just calls him the Warden. He doesn't know—or if he does, he just doesn't care—no one calls him by name, anyway, 'coz he just likes to be called Sir. He's the one of the twelve school JROTC officers. Anyone who ends up with him is seriously fucked." The student paused to take a breath.

His companion picked up for him. "And he doesn't allow you to switch out of his class, either. Not to mention that he owns an entire monopoly of a bodyguard hiring company. Almost no one can touch him. Word is, he's got a secret hit-man team, too." The student shook his head. "Even without all that, he's pretty scary. No one dares to report him. There's actually a rumor that some kid tried to do that a while back, and he actually..." The student trailed off suddenly, and he turned away from Soul, face ashen and aghast.

"Huh? What happened?" Soul questioned, but went ignored. He heard heavy footsteps advancing in his direction, and turned around to meet face-to-face with the guy who was apparently called the Warden. Damn. He was definitely uglier up close. Soul crinkled his nose. And his breath stank, too.

"Oh? What's this? A new kid? Just 'coz you're new, you think I'll go easy on you? Huh?! Is that it, you freak?!"

Soul's eyes narrowed. 'What the hell? This guy's rude as hell!'

The man continued, pointing his finger in Soul's face. "Are you blind?! Did you not just see what happened to Dumb and Dumber over there?! I guess you idiots will be the Three Stooges, then. Drop down and give me two hundred, right now!" The man sneered. "And if you fail, you'll get three months of detention, for your arrogance!" Immediately, whispers sprung up, once again.

"Oh shit, he got the new kid, too."

"Damn, beating Wataru was one thing, but two hundred? Like hell that's happening."

"Three months? Oh, hell naw."

"Gotta feel for the new kid."

"I know, right? Damn."

Soul pushed the finger out of his face, sucking his teeth. "Tsk. All right, old man, get your finger out 'o my face." He dropped down to the floor to begin. This wasn't a problem. He had to do thousands of pushups before, with that fatass Black Star on him. That kid was heavier than he looked. Muscles weigh more than fat, after all.

The man's face went red at this. "You think you can make a fool out of me?! PITTS, GET OVER HERE!"

"Ayy, Fat Chris!" Some catcalls rang out, but a glare from the Warden silenced them immediately.

Out of the lineup, a chubby boy licking a lollipop came forward. "Put that thing away and get over here, Fatass!" The instructor yelled. In response, the boy stuffed the entire thing in his mouth, stick and all. He then trudged over to stand by the instructor, who pointed at Soul.

"Sit."

* * *

Nothing.

Maka huffed. Maybe she should take a break, then come back on it. Rest her brain. Yes, that seemed like a good idea. She would allow her mind to stray. Like a child, she'd let her mind wander in the land of memories. Memories. Of what? Maka pondered this for a moment. Or two. She didn't know. She didn't know!

Maka huffed again. Back to thinking it was, since she had nothing better to do. She had time. At least, she thought she did. How much time had elapsed, anyway? She... didn't know.

She shook her head. Strands of her hair smacked her face, refreshing her mind. She felt a little less empty. She hadn't realized how numb she had gotten until just then. She had to be careful. She shook her head again, relishing in her renewed sense of touch.

She shivered, remembering that it was cold. Remembering. She remembered. Granted, it was nothing that could help her in the moment, but it was a start. She brought her hands to her temples again, applying a light pressure. Maybe that would help a little bit.

Maka waited. For a moment. Or two. She didn't know how long it had been, where she was, or even what she was supposed to remember! She just didn't know!

Maka huffed a third time. Or maybe fourth—maybe she did unconsciously while thinking—she didn't know. She didn't know! She huffed once more. More in annoyance than anything else. She would, after all, figure it out eventually. However long that took. Maybe in the next moment. Or two.

She dropped her hands to her sides. She would let her mind stray again. Her brain was growing weary. No, she didn't gave time to waste! Did she? She didn't know.

Maka shook her head. Maybe that would help. Eyes shut firmly in deep concentration, she tried to think again.

Nothing.

* * *

Soul didn't flinch when a huge mass was suddenly dropped onto his back. In fact, he smirked. Compared to his normal workout, this was nothing. Not even a warm up.

'Perfect time to show off,' Soul thought, grinning. He started up at an extremely fast pace (well, fast to anyone who wasn't used to it). Between each pushup, Soul sprung high and clapped. This feat sent the student perched on his back up a few inches before he fell back down.

"Woah!" The third-year yelled, clearly surprised. Stunted gasps of shock reached Soul's ears, further feeding his ego.

The gym instructor glared at Soul, with a frown on his face. Muttering to himself, he turned to the two collapsed students, and gripped their shoulders tightly. He pulled them up harshly, then proceeded to shove them in the direction of the gym teacher's office, to write out their detention slips.

"Yo, teach!"

The man addressed turned slowly to face the exercising boy. It sounded like it had come from him. Was it him? No, it couldn't have possibly been. The boy had already done at least fifty pushups; there was no way he was in any condition to speak. He turned around again.

"Oi! I called you!"

Removing his hands from the collars of the two apprehended students, the Warden turned once more, to glare at Soul. He walked over to him, stopping directly in front of the boy.

"What is it, Freak?"

Soul smirked. "Well, I have a preposition to make." He said, without missing a beat. The room went silent, except for the sound of steady clapping. Not even the gossippers could stand to chatter at a moment like this. They needed to hear every word.

"And what could you possibly say in this situation, you great white pig shart?!"

A few laughs disguised as coughs rang out, but were quickly squashed and stifled. Not to mention, Soul whipped his head around to glare at the snickering students. Suppressing a scowl, he turned back to the Warden, whose gaze was still fixated on him. Without hesitation, he smirked and spoke.

* * *

The gym was in uproar. Students were jumping around and hollering in disbelief. The two doomed boys had gone limp in shock. Chris Pitts had dropped his backup chocolate bar to the floor. But in the middle of it all, Soul was staring at the teacher intensely. The Warden had gone dark and silent, his expression unreadable. Soul kept his face neutral. A smirk in this moment would probably ruin his chances, after all.

After about a moment, the Warden looked at Soul.

"No."

Soul's face dropped, along with the jaws of the students around him. They began screaming, but their yells were halted when the Warden held up a hand.

"Take both of their tasks, you say?" He raised his head, his perpetual frown just nearly, almost, upturned at the corners. "No," He continued. "For your unabashed and unrivaled arrogance, you will do twice, no, thrice the amount of pushups required by the three of you combined."

"Hey, nerd, do the math...!"

"..."

"He said it's 1950!"

"1950?! As in, almost two thousand?!"

"Jesus Christ!"

"...143, 144, 145, 146..."

All conversation in its entirety stopped, as all occupants of the room turned to look at Soul.

"Oi, that kid..."

"He's seriously doing it!"

"I gotta tape this!"

"Idiot! You're going to get detention!"

"It's worth it!"

"With the Warden?!"

Without a response, a scrawny boy yelped, pulling out his phone. He positioned it on Soul, and pressed the button to record. The quality was exquisite, but that was to be expected—his family owned a luxury phone company, only available to those who were undeniably wealthy.

"...154, 155..." Soul continued, throughout the mess.

"Hey, you! No phones in class!" The Warden called out suddenly, pointing at the one who was videotaping. The boy yelped again and faltered, fumbling with his phone. Suddenly, it was grabbed from his hands.

"...Ugh, you're lucky you're my best friend." The boy's conversational partner grumbled, before speaking up loudly. "Hey, Shadis! I have the phone now!" The boy then began sprinting around the gym. He knew that he didn't have much time until the Warden started chucking things at him, but he came from a long line of track stars. He could do this.

More phones were brought out, and were tossed like hot potatoes when the Warden came near. Throughout the chaos that ensued, Soul doubled his pace. "171-172-173-174-175," His voice could barely keep up with his own pace, he thought, amused. During this time, he made a mental note to himself. 'I'll have to get ahold of one of these videos later.'

* * *

Nothing.

Maka pursed her lips. She was angry now. Just how much time was she wasting here? Wherever here was. Not that it mattered much. Right? Probably not.

Her eyes were squeezed together in annoyance. Phosphenes danced behind her eyes brightly, which slightly subdued her ire.

A warmth slowly bloomed in her chest. It began to creep outwards, slowly but surely. Maka's body felt conflicted, what with her extremities and skin feeling cold, and her face warm. She could feel her fingers and toes becoming numb at the confusing transition. For the first time since Maka had been here, she started feeling anxious.

Calm down!

She kept her eyes closed and concentrated on the dancing colors: white, grey, blue. White, grey, blue. White, grey, blue. Hmm. Weird. She didn't remember seeing those specific colors when she closed her eyes. More like red, green, and purple. But this was different. Different! Had something changed? She took a deep breath and braced herself for whatever was to come—be it a breakthrough, danger, or disappointment. One last flutter of warmth rippled throughout her chest. She looked at the dancing colors underneath her eyelids one last time.

She opened them.

* * *

There was a group of about half of the gym class sitting in the corner of the gym, most of their faces adorned with frowns and pouts. Their clothes were littered with dust and dirt, and some of them even sported scratches and bruises from where they had collided with either the floor or wall, some sort of projectile, or another lot of them were grumbling angrily, having been sentenced to detention—an entire month's time. Many focused glares at the floor, instead of at the one who's face they most likely wished to bash in at once. However, even the indication of such a thought would incite further punishment, so they all held their tongues. Shadis ended his speech with a reprimanding tone, leaving the gym mostly quiet.

But for shallow breathing, occasional grumbles, and the shuffling and fidgeting of many students. And Soul's steady clapping, of course. The end of the previous pandemonium had brought attention back to Soul. Had he really not stopped, even with the attention of the Warden being drawn away from him and his activities?

"...1937-1938-1939-1940-1941,"

Once again, a quiet hush enveloped the room, as all attention was on Soul, once again.

"Oh my God!" Someone whisper-yelled.

"Shhhhh!" Several voices responded.

"1946-1947-1948-1949-1950-1951-1952-1953-195... Oh, wait, I'm done." Soul stood up, Chris Pitts rolling off his back. "Uhh..." Soul trailed off, rubbing his neck and gazing at the blob on the floor. "My bad, forgot you were there." Soul said, reaching a hand to help the overweight boy back to his feet. He then proceeded to stretch his limbs out, his back cracking with a loud pop. "Ahh, what a workout!" Soul lied. He was already drawing too much attention to himself, as it was.

He then turned to Shadis with a smirk. "So, as agreed, those two'll be exempt of their punishments. Right, sensei?"

The man's face reddened in anger and slight mortification. "Whatever, just get out of here! Class is dismissed." He then flipped around, walked to the edge of the gym to collect his binder, and exited.

Soul turned to face the punished half of his class. "Sorry I got you guys into trouble, too," he said, before walking to the locker rooms to change.

* * *

She opened them.

Maka's stomach dropped as she took in the sight around her. There was no ground under her feet, and she flailed around for a moment. In the time it took her to finally still, she came to a sudden realization. She could see! She waved her hand in front of her face, and smiled satisfyingly when her eyes accounted for the same action.

Maka then stretched her neck to take in the sight of the void around her. Her eyes strained to see in the mostly-but-not-quite darkness.

The black void was more than just that, it seemed. It had corners, walls. The walls were illuminated slightly by a white glow, just enough for Maka to make out the color—blue. They shined slightly, seemingly slimy to the touch. Or to the eye. She watched the surface slowly sublime with rapt attention. Her eyes widened at the sight of the gas. Just how cold was this room?! She shivered violently. She wrapped her arms around herself, shaking like a leaf. It wasn't her fault that she was so petite! She brought her hands to her face and breathed on them, then rubbed them together furiously, in hopes that she could create some heat. It didn't help much, so she decided to stop, instead conserving her energy. She never knew when it'd prove to be useful, after all. But now, she was bored.

Maka allowed her eyes to wander. She was pleased with the presentation of a new task. Her analytic gaze swept over what appeared to be a floor. She squinted at a tiny smudge at the bottom of the 'room.' What was that?

She stared at the smudge for a long time. Or, at least, what she thought to be a long time. Slower than the rising of the sun, the soft light spread over the room, as did the warmth in her chest. Maybe that was a good sign? It had to be.

Maka squinted harder. She could just make out a rectangular shape. The longer she stared, the more defined it became. The light was spreading at an exponential rate, but still at no fast pace. The shape seemed to have a rounded crown, and reflected light better than the material around it. It was shimmering semi-brightly. She could even make out tiny flashes of colored light. Maybe it was made of glass. Or adorned with colored jewels. If only the light could move just a little bit faster...!

Her brow furrowed. She could almost clearly see the shape now. She jutted her neck forward, in a final-stretch attempt to discern the strange shape. And it did just the trick.

Her eyes widened.

* * *

Soul received many claps on the back and various congratulating comments on his way to the third music room. 'Just how fast does news travel around here, anyway?!' He thought, in slight awe. Not that he minded being the center of attention. But Maka definitely would. He frowned slightly, in the middle of his walk. He'd have to check up on her later. It had already been a few days, and she still hadn't woken up. There's no way that this could be from sheer exhaustion. Maka was tough, after all.

With that last semi-comforting thought, Soul cut through the extensive line of ladies waiting at the Host Club doors. He thought about waving, but decided that his coolness was enough to sate his fans for the time being. He pushed open the double doors and walked in, glancing back at the females behind him. They were clearly itching to go in, but their prideful statuses—and the intense glares of the newly employed (he surmised, seeing as to how they hadn't been there the previous day) doormen—kept them at bay.

"Soul-kun! We welcome you to our humble room!" Tamaki called out to him, the moment he entered the room. Soul took a passing glance at his surroundings. The Egyptian paradise was anything but humble. Extravagant drapery hung from the ceiling, dressed with jewels where they dipped the lowest. Golden statues and pillars, adorned with precious gems and metals were scattered around the room as well, giving it an ancient Egyptian palace feel. He eyed the nearest golden pillar. It shimmered in the light. Was it actually made of real gold?!

"Don't be ridiculous. Real gold would take much too long to import. This is merely 23-karat gold leaf-infused paint." Kyoya said, pushing up his glasses. Soul blinked. He looked at Kyoya suspiciously, but the youth had moved his gaze from Soul in favor of his laptop. Soul shook his head, brushing the incident off. 'And what did he mean merely 23-karat gold leaf, anyway?!' Shaking his head yet again, Soul took off towards the changing rooms, where his attire—kindly labelled—was sitting on a pedestal (a pedestal!) by the stall he usually used.

He shed his clothes at a leisurely pace, not being pressed for time as he had been the day before. Picking up the garb, he discovered that no shirt came with the outfit. He sighed, imagining the chaos that would surely ensue. His clients were very prideful females, but females nonetheless. He held the pants up for inspection. It was predominately white, with red and gold patterns lining the hem. 'Red and gold. I'm beginning to sense a pattern, here, although I can't say that I don't like it.' Quite the contrary, in fact. 'Those twins have good taste.'

He fitted on some golden sandals, and then began the arduous task of donning the complementary accessories. By the time he had finished piling on all the articles of jewelry—numerous necklaces, rings, and a crown—he felt about twenty pounds heavier. Judging by the weight, he deduced that they were all made of genuine jewels and metals.

Grabbing his bejeweled sceptre, he stepped out to join the other hosts. When his eyes fell upon their faces, his jaw dropped. The twins, immediately honing in on his revulsion, took this as an opportunity to bug him.

"Hey, Soul-kun—"

"—It's your turn now, y'know?"

Soul thrust his hands out in front of him, creating a (largely ineffective) barrier between the twins and himself. "No way in hell," he protested.

"But Soul-kun—"

"—everyone's done it but you!"

"It's part of our gentlemanly charm as members of the Host Club!" The two finished.

"Then I can be the ungentlemanly one," Soul griped.

"Absolutely not!" Tamaki declared, cutting into the conversation. "The Host Club is the epitome of gentlemanly...ness." Tamaki faltered for a bit, pinking slightly, before starting up again. "Our job is to uphold the essence of chivalry that is so rarely uncovered in men today. As members of the Host Cl—"

"Actually, I believe that the ladies will find it refreshing to have a somewhat unkempt host." Kyoya stated, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"I agree," Haruhi said, raising her hand slightly. "It would provide us with more variety."

"Yeah!"

"Mn," Honey and Mori inputted, respectively.

"Aww." The twins groaned at the loss of a potential prank.

"Well, I suppose I have no choice, then..." Tamaki pouted.

Soul outwardly sighed, having had dodged a bullet.* Suddenly, the raucous sound of blaring horns filled the room. The hosts, minus Kyoya and Mori, flinched. Tamaki (after recovering), smiled widely. "Ah, the horns have sounded! It is time, men!" Soul cracked his neck, mentally bracing himself for two hours of torture.

'The things I do for Ma—missions.'

* * *

"Soul-kun!"

"Soul-kun!"

"Soul-kun!"

'Oh, boy.' Soul thought, bringing a hand to his forehead, then changing its course and running it through his hair (in respect to the ladies). In truth, he was exhausted. Dealing with so many questions and comments and rumors was truly exasperating.

"Hey, guys, at least give him a chance to speak!" A feminine voice cried. Soul turned towards the voice to see Sora's disgruntled features. 'Lifesaver.'

"Sorry, Soul-kun!"

"It's just that... I heard about what you did in gym class today!"

"Yeah, me too! I even saw a video!"

"Even I heard about it," Sora said. "That's pretty epic."

"Waah, Soul-kun is so cool!"

Soul didn't even have a chance to respond before another wave of gushing squeals crashed into his ears, the likes of it utterly untameable. He sighed, wishing for the two hours to pass more quickly. Was this really worth the fame?

As long as he stayed cool, Soul decided.

* * *

Two rapid claps brought about a giant cloud of depression, along with a chorus of groans. It took a full twenty minutes to get all of the Host Club clients out this time. They were more enthusiastic than usual.

As was typical with them, the Hosts gathered around Tamaki's host station to chat. And, as usual, Tamaki became extremely distressed when his 'son' took his things and moved to leave.

"Soul-kun, why do you insist on skipping out on Host Club bonding sessions? They are extremely vital to our development!" Tamaki huffed.

Soul paused mid-step to reply. "Because I don't want to." While Tamaki pouted in the corner, turning with puppy eyes to Soul (who wasn't looking even remotely in his direction), the twins quickly pounced on him before he left.

"Off to see his girlfriend," the two sang loudly. Soul stepped out without any reaction. At least, to them. But, of course, Kyoya knew that Soul had a very acute sense of hearing, and smirked slightly at the thought of the younger boy's reaction. He clicked a few times with his mouse, and sat back to enjoyed the view.

"Like a flat-chested bookworm like that'd be my girlfriend..." Soul grumbled, before taking off towards the exit of the school. He had better things to be doing than dealing with those idiots.

"Humph... idiots."

 ***Break: In jazz, a break is a transition in which a soloist plays without any accompaniment.**

 ***Having had: I am so confused with this sentence, please help me.**

 **A/N: Gosh, I am just terrible at this updating stuff. I'm sorry. Geez. ;-;**

 **Still need references for fight scenes, and votes for Maka! Maka's testing out all the hosts' stations, before figuring which one to stay at. Please keep an open mind, people! (Personally rooting for Kyoya or Mori** **—** **just think about the possibilities!) You can vote in the reviews section every chapter, and there's a poll on my profile.**

 **Sorry for the lateness... as usual...**

Posted: October 25, 2015  
Updated: October 25, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	14. Race

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY! Schoolwork has been piling up incredibly, and I've been consistently banned from the computer about a week before Thanksgiving! Also, I meant to update yesterday, but I failed... Because my parents wanted to use the computer. I'm SO SORRY! D:**

 **On a more positive note, Merry (belated) Christmas! Happy Holidays, for those who don't celebrate it~!**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **PricelessImperfection: Once again, thank you so, SO much! Sorry for the long wait; this period of absence was pretty bad!  
Yoshida Haru: Mwahahah. Do you know which anime he comes from?  
Katie: I'm so glad you think so! :D I'm thinking about them finding out. I mean, Kyoya, Honey, and Mori already have some suspicions, but they don't exactly what's wrong yet. :3 I'm sorry for the long wait... .-.  
Natsu826: This comment... I was so happy I could've cried... I'm so glad that you see all of this in this story! Thank you SO much for taking the time to say this.. It looks like you got cut off, but I think the message is conveyed. I'm so glad that you're enjoying this, and THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D  
Angel paws: I'm glad that you've found interest in anime again! It's a beautiful thing... One of the _main reasons_? I'm actually honored... Thank you so much!  
Guest: Sorry for the long wait, and thank you!  
Guest: Well, I've never written romance before, and I'm not sure if I'm going to implement it into this story. I'll see, as the story goes on, if I can add little tidbits here and there. And I completely agree!  
Sakura Chara: That was my aim, hehe.  
TenableCape9819: I'm so sorry for the lateness! I need to get my priorities straight, but... fanfictions are addiction... Gah, I'm such a hypocrite.  
scribble . nonsense . taank: Okay. Firstly, sorry for the lateness. Being in all honors classes and AP classes is much work. Secondly, this comment made me BUST OUT LAUGHING, omigosh. I mean, I'm sorry for causing it, but that's hilarious. I showed all my friends and everything. XD  
metz: Sorry for the wait; here you go!  
divergentlover523: I'm sorry for the cliffie! (Sorrynotsorry XD) Your comment made me really push for Christmas, but I ended up being a day late (I was allowed back on the computer on Christmas day, sorry!). I hope you enjoy it, and sorry for the wait! Thank you so much! :D  
reader: I'm so glad that you love this story! I know, cliffies are the _worst_... And I will absolutely _not_ drop this story. I'm loving this as much as you guys are, and your comments make me really happy! My school district is cheap af this year; winter break started on Christmas eve... Long comments are wonderful; I love them! I'm sorry again for the long wait, and thank you for not flaming! It's probably tempting, considering the position you're in... I'm sorry for doing that to you! Nothing _that_ serious happens that keeps me from updating; the familial issues are just... annoying, at this point. It's really just AP. Dangit, AP. And Science Research. But those college credits though...  
Brightstar4266: Yes, chapter.  
**

 **THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!  
**

 **scribble . nonsense . taank  
hajasmonet  
fandomswecallhome  
divergentlover523  
WritingSoul  
WritingMyLife21  
TenableCape9819  
Something the fox  
Silverheart33  
RoseSlayer77  
Noiruna  
Munny Mun  
LordOfAllBricks  
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 **AND THE FAVORITES!**

 **usagifriend  
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fandomswecallhome  
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 **I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!**

 **Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 14: Race**

Kyoya clicked away at his computer, ignoring the blathering that was emitting from his phone. After listening to his best friend's dithyrambic chatter for five full minutes, he had surmised that Tamaki was planning a Host Club excursion. Kyoya sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. The high-pitched rambling emitting from his phone was wearing his patience thin, and it had not yet been even ten minutes. It would most likely be another hour before his best friend became aware of his being ignored. Kyoya sighed again. Tamaki had chosen the worst time to have such a whim—a Monday. Knowing him, he'd be rambling about the pending endeavor all throughout the entire week. Kyoya shook his head. Such thoughts would only lead to work-hindering stress. That simply would not do.

Kyoya craned his neck to the side until he heard a satisfying crack. He glanced back at his phone, noting that the call had gone on for barely seven minutes. A vein on his head pulsed strongly, the beginnings of a headache already in the works. He glared at his phone menacingly.

No. He simply could not.

Kyoya sat up on the edge of his bed, pondering his next move. Clearly, it was too stressful to be in his room at the moment. And, as much as he wanted to hang up on his best friend at the moment (it was likely that he would fail to notice until much later, after all), he would rather not deal with the consequential phone spam and in-school whining. It would only make sense to leave. But where?

Another vein pulsed madly on Kyoya's forehead, as Tamaki's rambling slowed his thought process. The youth glared at the phone with all his might, although it did nothing to deter the enthusiastic squeals.

Kyoya folded his hands and placed them under his chin, in an attempt to come up with some solution. His gaze swept over his room aimlessly, as his mind worked at an answer. Kyoya glanced at his Ouran uniform vest laying on the chair by his desk, marring his otherwise spotless room. Spotless. That could only mean that Fuyumi had gotten to it. His eye twitched irately, as his train of thought moved to his overbearing sister.

 _"Kyoya, you work too much! Don't you ever take a break?" Fuyumi whined, flitting around the room of the addressed teen. Said teen had long since lost the will to fight his sister, as she was just as stubborn as he._

 _"Breaks are unproductive." Kyoya replied, without looking up from his laptop screen._

 _Fuyumi huffed, temporarily halting in her work to place a hand on her hip. "Of course they're productive! If you work too much, you'll eventually run out of steam—you know this!"_

 _Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose. "My health and tolerance for lack of sleep is better than most."_

 _"'Better than most,' still doesn't mean perfect, stupid!" Fuyumi continued, her voice clearly portraying her annoyance. Her brother gave no response, stimulating her ire. She began stalking over to the bed, but she suddenly jolted. The sole female Ootori reached into her pocket to pull out her phone, and shot her brother a quick 'this-isn't-over' glare, before answering. As she spoke, her face lit up with a large smile, and she slowly drifted to the other side of the room._

 _It was a few more (peaceful) moments before she closed the phone, sighing happily, and turned her attention to Kyoya once more. "I'm going to Shido-kun's house, so we have no choice continue this conversation later." Fuyumi all but sprinted to the door, before turning around. "But, really, you should take a walk or something, Kyoya. Even if it's only for just twenty minutes, it'll rest your brain." Fuyumi paused and opened her mouth, before shaking her head. She smiled and left the room with a wave._

Kyoya's eye twitched as his memory came to an end, and the agonizing chatter made its presence known again.

Kyoya listened for all of three potent seconds before standing from his bed. Changing into a brand new set of athletic wear (designer, of course, and complete with matching shoes), he glanced at his watch.

'Twenty minutes. Just twenty minutes.' Kyoya closed the door behind him as quietly as he could manage (even the shadow king was only human—albeit just barely, no, tentatively, no _questionably_ so—after all).

'It seems as if I'll be taking your advice for once, Fuyumi.'

* * *

"Yeah!" Soul cheered, jumping up from the couch in his excitement. His favorite football team had scored last-second, and it was now halftime. Having experienced his brief high, Soul collapsed back onto the couch. As the TV changed to commercials, Soul yawned, stretched, and turned to face Maka. He frowned, as was his daily ritual, and thought about what to do to fill the painfully awkward silence. Taking to a comatose person was weird enough, but the strangeness was temporarily erased during any period of speech or other distraction. Soul cupped both of his hands and rested his chin there, rolling his head back and forth in sheer boredom. Today was dumb, but he might as well talk about it, since he had nothing better to do (homework didn't count!).

"Today was so weird, you won't even believe... Well, actually, we've seen weirder, but, considering how boring this mission is, you'll be surprised how eventful today was."

* * *

Soul groaned, smacking the snooze button of his brand new alarm (he'd been forced to buy a new one—one forged by the witches themselves—but he had left it back at home, and before that clock, he'd relied fully on Maka or Spirit's hollers to rouse him) once again. How many times had it bothered him already?! Five times? Six? 'So annoying.' Soul thought, rolling onto his stomach. Suddenly, his stomach lurched, forcing him to sit up in fear. Soul turned to face the small digital device by him. He stared at the numbers on the screen in disbelief. _'6:56.'_ He openly gaped, as if the action would somehow change the numbers. The latter '6' suddenly changing to a '7' quickly snapped him out of his ruse. He was, without a doubt, going to be late!

Soul leaped out of bed and promptly took off towards the bathroom, his lower appendages having long outgrown the feeling of falling asleep. Well, due to a mere night's idleness, at least. Not even hanging from chains for a week could get his legs to weaken, at his point in training. However, as much as he hated to admit it, it was nothing compared to the titan-esque endurance that Spirit boasted.

Soul jumped in the shower and power-washed himself, exiting two minutes later. Maka would've been appalled, but this was kind of her fault! He wouldn't have had to stay up all night, typing up his chicken scratch notes for her if she wasn't hospitalized! He wouldn't have even cared about being late if the situation had been normal! Scowling, he threw on the conveniently-placed outfit laying on his bed. Maids sure were useful (although his feeble brain disregarded the fact that said maids could have, nay, _should_ have woken him).

Practically flying down the stairs, Soul nearly crashed into an expressionless butler with dark maroon hair (who did not flinch at any point of their near-collision). The butler held his arms out, offering a wrapped package. Soul could smell the food: a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich. He took it gratefully and ran out into the main room, while the butler walked in the opposite direction. Nearing the front door, Soul was greeted by the appearance of his school bag, in the hands of a familiar butler. Soul peered at the butler curiously. Said butler simply bowed deeply (once his hands were cleared) and turned to leave. Shaking his head, Soul continued outside in a mad dash for his motorcycle. He accelerated so fast that, when the time had come for him to pull the breaks, he had tripped over his own feet in the process of doing so.

"That was _so_ uncool," Soul groaned, rubbing his head (as such was common with him). When he raised his neck, three warping, emotionless faces stared back at him. He closed his eyes tightly, but reopened them at the sound of a large metallic item being moved. When his eyes refocused, the figures were gone, and the garage was open. Soul stared dumbly at the garage for a moment, before shaking his head, scrambling to his feet and continuing his mission. He surveyed his motorcycle with great pride, an unintentional grin spreading across his face at the sight. Turning the keys in the ignition, he kicked off the ground and took off.

Fifteen minutes later (and not without having violated several traffic laws), he arrived at the front of the school. Scowling all the while, he left his beloved vehicle in front of the colossal academy and ran inside, much like the Friday previous. Two minutes later (he was almost used to the winding hallways that made up the school—well, at least the ones that led to his classes), he made a spectacle of bursting into the classroom. All eyes in the room snapped to his disheveled appearance, and even the teacher stopped teaching for a moment to stare at him in shock.

Soul craned his neck to glance at the overhead clock. 7:23. Great. A dark look overtaking his features, he angrily stalked over to his desk. In fear of upsetting him, not even the teacher dared address his abrupt entrance. The male at his side nervously scooted his chair closer to the brunette he and his doppelgänger were sandwiching. Soul ignored the two, instead ripping his bag open, causing the contents to fly out in various directions. Too angered to be embarrassed, he cursed and stood to retrieve his items; during which time, the teacher moved to the corner of the room to take a call. By the time Soul had finished collecting his belongings and moved to take his seat, the teacher seemed to be finishing up. Soul glared at the teacher, but caught himself and glared out the window instead. His scowl deepened; he was becoming even more enraged at the time that was being wasted. The teacher's body shook violently with shivers, before he shook his head and muttered into the phone again, voice trembling. He began apologizing profusely into the phone, and began stammering what seemed to be an excuse, but cut off his voice. The other party must have hung up on him. The teacher sighed and dared a glance in Soul's direction, but immediately regretted it. Turning sharply from his student's terrifying glare, he resumed teaching.

During the next five minutes, Soul's temper had lessened considerably, leading to the gradual relaxation of the class, as he put more energy into fervently copying notes. He didn't understand what he was writing at all, having missed a large portion of the lesson. He'd have to ask someone for notes later. He was completely absorbed in his note-taking when a loud voice suddenly boomed, causing him to drop his pencil and several others in the class to flinch or even yelp in shock (as the quality of the loudspeaker was so high-class, that there was no scratchy feedback, hum, or buzz to forewarn the people of Ouran).

"Evans Soul, please report to the attendance office. I repeat, Evans Soul, please report to the attendance office."

The second Soul heard his name, his mood instantly shifted. As the message progressed, his mood darkened, and by the time the repeated statement was finished, the class was shrouded in a frigid darkness much like the one they had been in only minutes before. Soul slammed his pencil down, the flimsy wood cracking into splinters by the force of his barely repressed wrath. The entirety of the class (not excluding the teacher) jumped and paled as the teen stalked out of the classroom. The oppressive silence remained for a full two minutes after said teen had left, broken by the teacher who timidly squeaked that the day's lesson would be held after school, and the rest of the period would be free study.

* * *

Soul's expression remained dark as he walked through the hallway, terrifying any and every unlucky soul with whom he came into contact (worst of all, the two stray students which he stopped to ask for directions). Arriving at his destination, Soul came into contact with a maid, who was seemingly awaiting his arrival.

"Evans Soul?" She questioned monotonously. Without waiting for a reply, the maid handed him an envelope and map, before bowing and scurrying away to some unknown location. Soul eyed the fancy seal on the envelope, pocketing the map absentmindedly, and took a seat on one of the many couches strewn fashionably across the room. As he sunk into the fancy cushions, Soul tore open the thicker-than-average paper (a sure mark of its quality). Underneath a plethora of formalities laid but a few sentences which expressed the reason for his being called to the attendance office: a misparked vehicle. Why an entire letter with a full five paragraphs was needed to express this, Soul couldn't possibly fathom. Dismissing the thought, he growled, tossing the letter into the nearest trashcan, before making his way towards the exit of the school—once again, terrifying anyone and everyone in his path.

Practically flying down the steps (as such was common for any DWMA student/teacher), Soul reached the front, where an Ouran staff member—identifiable by the characteristic uniform and emblem—stood over his motorcycle. He was facing Soul and, upon the albino's arrival, bowed and left. Soul ignored the motion and thoroughly inspected his vehicle for several moments before he was satisfied. Now what was he supposed to do? Soul patted his pockets and felt something in his right. Reaching into it, he uncrumpled the paper to reveal the map that the maid had given him before. After facepalming, Soul examined the map to discover a highlighted and labeled landmark: _garage building._

After several minutes of strife, Soul peered up at a large glass building. 'Of course.' The modern architecture of the building just oozed luxury; the well-maintained flora in the front serving to accentuate this. Soul entered through the revolving doors, and was hit instantly with cool air. As his head whipped back and forth to observe the grandiose vehicle paradise, a yell caused him to part from his momentary veneration.

"Hey, you! What the hell are you doing here, you lost or something?"

Soul turned his head to regard the angered student. Sleek, black hair fell in waves and reached an inch or two past the ears of the blue-eyed pupil. He was wearing the Ouran uniform, but left the vest open, showing off his white undershirt, which was sullied with oil. His tie, also stained beyond recognition hung from his pants pocket. Finally, instead of the typical dress shoe that came with the uniform, this student donned some black sport sneakers. The student's face was pulled up into a sneer as he assessed Soul in the same way Soul had to him.

Nearly tempted to flatly ignore the student, Soul lazily replied.

"Nah, just gotta leave my bike somewhere. School doesn't want it up front and all that jazz."

With an upturned nose, the student gave his offhand reply, waving his hand dismissively. "Well, you can't park it here. You must be new, 'coz everyone knows that this is _my_ turf. Now just skedaddle or something."

Soul, having been deprived of a good fight for only too long, immediately retaliated, not even realizing how true the words were. "Not gonna happen. I got somewhere to be, and I ain't got the time to be dealing with you." He shrugged his shoulders for extra measure, before dragging his motorcycle along with him to look for an empty spot. Rising to the bait as expected, the student stomped up to Soul, who noted his irritation with mirth.

"Now listen, you! If anything, _I_ don't have the time to be dealing with _you_! An' if you think you can mess with me, you better watch yourself. Me and my guys ain't afraid of you." He finished, pointing a finger at Soul condescendingly.

Unfazed, Soul met his eyes with cool regard. Swiping his hand away, Soul inflated his chest with a smirk. Although the boy was about as tall as he (6'2''), not a smidgen of intimidation or trepidation reached even the edge of his consciousness. In fact, both parties were filled with pure confidence (and much vexation on one's part).

Soul couldn't help his next reply. "Well, a guy as cool as me couldn't care less about you and your guys. Probably just a bunch of wannabe delinquents, anyway."

"Oh, yeah? Well—since you seem to take us so lightly—how about a bike race? I'll call my guys, and whoever wins, wins, y'know? But don't come crying to me when you lose with that rust bucket over there. And _when_ you lose, remember this name: Kurosawa Kazuki. I'll put you in your place, newbie."

'Now, _this_ is what I've been waiting for,' Soul thought, rolling up his sleeves haughtily. "We'll see about that..." he muttered, reaching for his prized possession. The thing he spent hours on, making various adjustments so that it'd best benefit him when he needed to make a clean getaway. The thing that had served him well for many years, and was still in prime condition. His beloved motorcycle. Pridefully patting the multicolored vehicle, Soul smirked and glanced at Kazuki. Even if he had the best motorcycle available (which wasn't too farfetched, considering his enrollment at Ouran), the speeds that Soul's bike could go were against the law in Japan.

'I got this.'

* * *

Maka's eyes focused on the distant shape, which was fully illuminated now. There was no mistaking it; it was most definitely a door. But how could she get to it? She tilted her body forward, hoping to be propelled forward, but alas, she was only sent into a long few moments of violent turbulence, in which she flailed around ungracefully as she tried to regain her bearings. After her internal balance had been restored (for the most part, as she still teetered precariously from time to time), she focused on the door, once again questioning how to go about reaching it.

Thankfully, it wasn't look before some far-off movement pulled her out of her reverie. (She'd hate to go crazy in this place; she had a place to be! ...She assumed.) The door was opening. With it came a squealing sort of sound, alerting Maka to the deafening silence that had existed only moments before. Banishing such thoughts, Maka steadied her gaze on the door. Whatever came out would surely impact the foreseeable future.

After what seemed like forever, the door opened, revealing a... figure? If the door was hard to distinguish from that distance, then whatever appeared from it was impossible! Luckily (or maybe not so much), it began heading in Maka's direction almost immediately. As it neared her, Maka began to distinguish its features. Four dangling appendages hanging from what appeared to be a torso, along with a fifth, with strange growths. It soon became apparent to Maka that it was, in fact, a person (or humanoid creature, whatever have you)!

Within moments, the person had settled right in front of Maka, the slight wind currents from its arrival causing her to wobble slightly. Before Maka even had a chance to fight for her balance, her body suddenly froze, but for her face. As the small figure flitted around her, Maka had a better chance to analyze it. Black hair followed the movements of the child, whose eager multicolored eyes jumped around the blonde meister in what could only be described as youthful eagerness.

Maka scrutinized the small feline ears that rested upon the girl's head. 'She looks familiar...' Maka thought silently, so she was surprised when the girl suddenly spoke.

"I do? Wow, even though your memories are all jumbled, you can still recognize faces? Cool!" The child smiled. "Well, Mama sent me here to fix them, because she's done with what she's doing with them, so I guess I'll give them back now." The child said, giggling merrily. She raised an arm and muttered under her breath quickly. As she finished her statement, memories began pouring into Maka's head. She gasped.

'The child from my dream?' Maka thought, eyes widening.

At this, the child pouted. "Aww, is that as far as it goes? Hmm..."

'No,' Maka thought, further scrutinizing the child, whose pout deepened as time went on.

"Well, it hardly matters. I've done what Mama told me to do, so I guess I should let you go now." The young girl said with a whining tone. She rose her arm up and was about to recite a spell, when—!

"—Wait!" Maka blurted, in a rush. How did she not realize? She had read many books on this! "You're identical to the girl from my dream, but you have a different magic: she resembled a wolf, while you take after a fox!"

"Ding ding ding!" The girl sang, smiling. "Good job! I knew you could do it, Mama says you're smart, after all!" After a brief jig, the child settled in front of Maka again. "Well, then..."

"—Wait!" Maka spouted, cutting her off again. "What is your mother doing with my memories?"

The girl paused. "Well, Mama told me not to tell, so I really shouldn't..."

"Please?"

"Mama said no, so I won't!" She stated, sticking out her tongue defiantly.

"Well... Why is she giving them back now?" Maka tried, using a different tactic.

"I dunno, but I heard her say that something kept coming back and blocking them, so she told me she didn't need them anymore... But that doesn't matter! Mama is smart, she'll figure it out!" The child continued, after a few moments' hesitation.

"Figure what out?" Maka pressed.

"Not telling!" The child cried, before gasping. "Nee-sama told me not to take too long! You have to go now, bye!" She blubbered, raising her arm quickly before Maka could protest. With a few muttered words, Maka's consciousness was plunged elsewhere.

* * *

Soul gazed at the septet around him with utmost confidence. He hardly cared that he was missing school; he could get notes from someone later. He was finally stretching out his limbs and getting rid of the chronic boredom that had been plaguing him since he had first been enrolled at Ouran Academy.

Kazuki turned to smirk at him. "Since you are, after all, a newbie, and it wouldn't be right to beat you because of your ignorance, I've set up landmarks so you know where to go. Just follow the signs, and you should be fine—if you don't get blinded by dust, that is." The teen said, before hopping onto a fancy-looking black motorcycle and waving a hand to some unknown person. He fitted a black helmet onto his head and stared straight ahead.

Soul sat on his motorcycle as well, confidently patting the front. As he gazed lazily upon the jewel-adorned mirrors, Soul nearly scoffed. What stupidity.

A scantily-clad woman emerged from nowhere (presumably due to Kazuki's signal), hefting a large electronic board along with her. The eight racers sat comfortably on their respective vehicles, eyes trained on the large board that the brunette drew up dramatically. A large cross* appeared, momentarily confusing Soul, before he recalled the fact that he was no longer in America. He shot one last smirk at Kazuki, before heeding the board seriously.

'十'

'九'

'八'

'七'

'六'

'五'

'四'

'三'

'二'

'一'

'GO!'

Soul kicked off, as did the other racers, leaving the poor coughing brunette in the dust. Soul uniformly accelerated to 50 mph, twice as fast as the town speed limit allowed for, already causing five racers to lag far behind. Right behind him was Kazuki, who smirked cockily.

"Not bad. At least your bike isn't trash. That wouldn't be fun at all!" He taunted, catching up effortlessly (dodging cars all the while). Soul smirked chuckled in response, before looking ahead and keeping his eye peeled for the next signal. He easily spotted it; two guys in LED-bedecked Ouran uniforms on either side of the road, wearing miners' hats with large, flashing lights, who were gesturing wildly. As per their miming motions, Soul took a sharp left, narrowly avoiding an expensive-looking car. Not that he was concerned—near collisions happened quite frequently in Death City.

The racer behind him, however, did not take it so lightly. "Hey, newbie! Watch it! You obviously have no idea what you're doing! Give up before you break something!"

Kazuki picked up on his underling's ire and came in with a taunt and a grin. "Looks like you're not doing so hot, newbie! Wanna give?"

"Like hell!" Soul shot back, thoroughly enjoying himself. As he wrapped around a corner, he threw his head back in laughter. This was really better than school!

As Soul accelerated to 80 mph, Kazuki's grin widened further. "Breaking the speed limit* now, huh, newbie? I guess that means you're serious about this! Just a heads up—watch the turns!"

Soul smirked at the challenge. The third-place racer was now nowhere to be seen; only he and Kazuki were possible contenders for first place. He sent a contemptuous smirk Kazuki's way, which was returned with a wide grin. A few more moments passed in this way, without event.

Drifting around another sudden corner, Kazuki spoke again. "I'm surprised you've lasted this far, newbie! I commend your efforts, but this ends now!" With those words, he suddenly sped up, spurring Soul into action. His bike was heating up so much, but the high he was experiencing was well worth it—until his ears tuned in to the sound of loud sirens.

"Dammit!" Kazuki cursed, pulling over. Soul followed suit, dismounting, as his momentary rival pulled off his helmet. A pair of policemen angrily stomped up to them.

"Good Lord! Have you any idea how fast you were going?! What if you had hit somebody?! You should be ashamed of yourselves! Gimme your names!" One uniformed man demanded, pulling out a notepad.

While Soul bent down to apologize, Kazuki reached into his pocket, pulling out a wad of bills. Soul stared, flabbergasted, as he whispered a few quick words to the men, who refused, but reconsidered after counting the bills. After letting the two off with a warning, the officers made a U-turn in their vehicle, and wheeled away.

Kazuki clapped Soul on the back with a grin. "I admit, I wasn't expecting much, but that was actually awesome! Not many can race on my level, but that was entertaining! I wouldn't mind racing you again, but on my family's track next time, y'know?"

Soul shrugged, but grinned back. "I had fun, too. Sure, man, anytime. M'name's Soul, by the way."

"Evans Soul, right? The whole school's talking about you, and I pretty much spend all my time in the garage, but even _I_ know!" Kazuki said, shaking his head. "Well, whatever. I'll see you around. You can park your bike in the garage, since you kept me entertained." He said, turning back to hop on his ride. At that moment, the six other racers appeared behind the two, flanking their leader. Kazuki faced Soul, saluting briefly. "See ya."

* * *

Soul stepped back onto Ouran grounds, hair and uniform a bit tousled. Not that he cared. He was refreshed—although he was nearly positive that an afternoon with the Host Club would soon change that. Nevertheless, he was energetic, and his positive attitude was exuding from his very presence, stimulating many squeals. As he reentered his homeroom, he noted that it was lunchtime, and walked to his seat relatively unnoticed (and calmly received by the ones who did notice).

Soul unzipped his bag and pulled out his bento, setting it on top of his notebook. He stared at the blue spiral notebook in horror. Of course, in the spur of the moment, he hastily accepted Kazuki's battle, and forgot all about taking notes! Resisting the temptation to growl in annoyance, Soul settles for internally chastising himself. 'Haruhi—I mean Fujioka—probably has them,' he thought, reaching over one twin to tap said teen's shoulder.

"Fujioka." He started, before Haruhi flinched, turning towards him. "Sorry," he amended, before continuing. "Can I borrow your notes from this morning? Please?" He requested, clasping his hands together in a pleading gesture. After deducing that his request was sincere, Haruhi relented.

"Sure. But please return them before the end of the day." She said, however tempted she was to reply bluntly. Kyoya would never forgive her if she did.

"Thank you!" Soul said, receiving the notebook gratefully. He set it on his desk, opening it to the notes from the beginning of the day. Sighing, he tore into a sandwich while writing with his other hand. He'd finish before lunch ended. It lasted for two hours, after all. Damn lazy rich bastards.

* * *

"...And my hand was hurting all through hosting, too!" Soul sighed resignedly as he finished his story. He had spoke through a portion of the third quarter, but he could care less. It was recorded at home, anyway. He ran his fingers through his hair tiredly. "So tired..." He grumbled, turning to face the window.

It wasn't until he felt himself nearly loosing the battle of consciousness before a familiar prickle tugged the edge of his mind. He slowly began to sober as his mind struggled to identify the feeling. As soon as it registered, he sprung up and hovered over Maka, more eager than he'd have liked to admit. At the first flutter of the eyelid, Soul's stare intensified greatly. And when those viridian eyes that he had missed so much finally opened, he nearly crushed the girl in a hug; similar in nature to the ones Tamaki was so fond of.

After she rasped out a plea for air, Soul, in response to her scratchy voice (for, were it not for that, he wouldn't have released her), let go to push down the call nurse button. Moments later, three nurses turned up at the door, and, after a moment spent on assessing the situation, bounced around (seemingly) random spots in the room, completing various tasks. And Soul didn't care if he looked like the most uncool guy in the universe; Maka was finally awake! A grin split his face as he turned around to meet eyes with Maka, expecting the same. The confusion on her features momentarily startled him, but her wavelength unconsciously soothed his worries. When she looked up and smiled back at him, he was more than satisfied, and let out a whoop of excitement. Ignoring the frantic shushing of the nurses, Soul continued to celebrate, before Maka let out a very menacing growl.

"There are other patients _sleeping_ here. If you don't shut up, you'll get what's coming to you when I get released."

Soul shut up at that and instead chose to sit on the couch by Maka's bedside, while various nurses flitted around her, taking various measurements. Immediately, Soul began to replay the events of the days she was out, even if a little miffed that she couldn't hear him before. As Maka listened intently and (grudgingly) appraised her partner for taking down notes, somewhere in the back of her mind, she still tossed around the events that had taken place while she was unconscious.

 ***A large cross: The kanji for the number ten is** **「十」、** **which momentarily confuses Soul, who is expecting '10.' After gaining his bearings (he's not so rusty as to not know what's happening from there), he is properly attuned with the rest of the numbers.**

 ***Breaking the speed limit: Yes, I already said that 50 was twice the speed limit, but that was merely the town's limit. Japan's maximum speed limit is 100 kph, which is about 62 mph.**

 **A/N: I'm SO sorry for the long wait! Plus, the fact that I said that I'd update yesterday, and ended up not doing that... Yesterday was a busy day, in a nutshell!**

 **Due to excessive schoolwork and stuffs, I will not be able to keep up with updating weekly (if this period of absence was any clue). Instead, I'll be updating every other Thursday, unless I have five chapters written and am able to throw in an extra one... Which, probably isn't going to happen. I'm SO SORRY!**

 **Once again, please keep submitting your votes on who you want Maka to end up with! The time is now, now that she's finally awake! The poll on my profile is still up; I'm glad to see that some of you guys have voted! c:**

 **Lastly, the** _ **real**_ **plot begins from here! Look forward to it! I hope you enjoyed this sad chapter (that ending was garbage), but the next will be better!**

Posted: December 26, 2015  
Updated: December 26, 2015

 _~Reginna Grace_


	15. Mongrel

**A/N: Oops, I did it again! I played with—lemme stop.**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **fangirl01music: Omigosh, I hardly think it's _that_ good. Thank you so much! c:  
PricelessImperfection: Thank you so much for your patience! Thanks for reviewing, and you're welcome! :D  
3.14159265SlicesOfPi: I love writing this as much as you guys love reading it! It's mah baby. Thank you so much! :D  
TenableCape9819: Weeell, this chapter turned out over 6,000 words already, and I'd rather not pass 7,000. But I'll add it in to the next one, thanks for the suggestion!  
reader: No problem! Thanks for reviewing in the first place! Thank you so much for the kind words... And you're right about my age; I turned 15 just November. c: Thank you so much; I look forward to reading more of your comments! :D  
scribble . nonsense . taank: It's no problem! It's not like you flamed me or anything XD And thanks for being so considerate. Those words make me wonder how old you are...? (Naturally, you don't have to answer, it's just that those words made you sound so cool! *o*) And once again, sorry about your name; fanfiction problems.  
Brightstar4266: Yey  
Kakahi: Erm.. This doesn't count as soon.. But the next one will be! Sorry.. But thank you for the review, my friend! c:  
Nightshade McArthur: Huehuehue... All shall soon come to pass.  
Midnight Rosedrop: Yey! I hope I portrayed it correctly!  
Nightshade McArthur: Lol, my moderate French skills finally came to use! And while I knew that senpai and sensei weren't only used in school, I didn't know those literal translations; thanks for the trivia!  
Nightshade McArthur: Thank you, and I definitely wont! And you are right in your assumption!  
Yoshida Haru: *Tallies vote* Only time will tell. XD Lol, I can tell that was hard for you. I'm guessing I didn't overdo it, then? Yey!  
pokemon-35055: Voila! Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reviewing!  
waiting: Yeah, it kind of ended up that way... I wasn't intending on the race taking up so much space, sorry! I hope it was okay! Here you go!  
waiting: I have to admit, I teared up at this one. But your sarcasm and frustration is justified... Thanks for kicking my lazy bum into action, and here's your chapter!  
Guest: Gym class with boys?! Ew... My neighborhood is too... Ghetto (to put it lightly) for the girls and guys to have gym class together. Since we change in-school (in the locker rooms), I'm pretty sure some girls would get taken advantage of if guys were in there too. No, not pretty sure—I'm _positive_. And there's literally no one I know in my gym class, so it sucks for me, too. My school has around 2,000 people, so there's a slim chance that I see my friends in non-honors and extracurricular classes. I'm lucky I have friends during my lunch period, actually. Last year, there was only one girl that I vaguely knew in middle school (we're good friends, now). Luckily, for the AP class that I'm taking (AP World History** **—It sucks. If you're taking it, know China. And pretty much memorize the textbook. You'll be fine. There's no half-assing that class.), there are only two periods available, and nearly all my friends are taking it, so half of my friends are in my class. Plus, it's kinda a partnership program with the honors ELA class, so that's two classes I have with my best friend. Yay. Wow, sorry for the long reply. o-o  
Anonymous Person: Thank you so much! :D *tallies vote* Yeeesssssss, I love him! *poke, poke* You can vote every chapter, y'know.  
**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!**

 **DESYNCHRONIZE  
ExaltedLight  
Gabbykitten42  
Midnight Rosedrop  
Midnight message  
Mikol  
Nightshade McArthur  
TwilightLover62000  
onlyforthegamesandstuf  
** **pokemon-35055  
** **smile-with0me  
** **LilithAgami12  
** **Mackenzie098  
** **PeterPan0429  
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 **AND THE FAVORITES!**

 **DESYNCHRONIZE**  
 **ExaltedLight**  
 **Gabbykitten42**  
 **LilithAgami12**  
 **Lotus Lau**  
 **Mikol**  
 **Misaki Star**  
 **Nightshade McArthur**  
 **onlyforthegamesandstuf**  
 **pokemon-35055**  
 **Poosa-ard**  
 **smile-with0me**  
 **The Misguided Angel of Death**  
 **watermelon21**

 **It took me literally over an hour edit all of this. Like, add the author's notes, reply to all the reviews, copy and paste all the follows and favorites, and fix all the em dashes that fanfiction stupidly changes to hyphens. Much werk. I'm so tired. My aaaaarms. But who cares? Who reads this stuff? I know I'm ranting to air.**

 **Anyway.**

 **Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Kudos to Yoshida Haru for the title!**

 **Chapter 15: Mongrel**

Soul whistled merrily as he made his way through the hallways on his way to the Host Club. It was no secret that he was happy—his presence alone exuded his cheer and brightened up the hallway. His lax posture—hands deep in his pockets and back slouched—further accentuated his easygoing mood. In fact, the moment Soul had entered Music Room 3, the Hosts (sans Kyoya) paused in their various activities to assess the albino's mood. The eldest of the Hosts looked over at Soul.

"Hey, Takashi, So-chan sure looks happy, right?" Honey questioned, glancing at the person in question, before turning his face back to the gentle giant for his reply. At his cousin's nod of affirmation, he continued. "Maybe something good happened to him!" Honey squealed, taking off for the Host-in-training, his cousin following ever-so-faithfully behind.

"So-chan!" Honey waved exuberantly to announce his presence, while skidding to a stop before Soul. "So-chan!" He repeated, having garnered the attention of the newest Host. "So-chan sure looks happy today! Did something good happen?" He questioned, balancing on his heels and peering at up at his junior.

Easily bypassing the grating voice (as his mood had reached such a high, that not even said grating voice could disturb it) which, in most instances, had the ability to so easily infuriate him, Soul turned to face the short teen, acknowledging his companion with a nod. Unable to stop the grin from spreading along his face or create as must suspense as he would have liked, Soul smugly answered the teen.

"Ma—" Soul shook his head, too pleased to berate himself for his folly. "'Rukka, she's awake."

Honey's face scrunched up in confusion for a moment, before realization dawned on his features. His face rapidly changed, his smile widening with much intensity, until he finally released a squeal of absolute delight. Soul's hair was comically thrown back with the gale-force winds that emitted from the short boy. He pressed his palms to his ears, which did little to protect his eardrums from the raucous sound of Honey's prolonged squeal. When it finally did end, the petite senior bounced wildly, apparently not out of breath, and questioned Soul rapidly.

"Really? Really? Ha-chi's awake?! Can we go see her?!" He yipped eagerly.

Soul nearly grimaced, but his face lightened slightly at the eagerness with which the small boy-lolita questioned him about his meister. 'Maka just has that effect on people,' He thought fondly. 'She got to even Chrona, after all.' "Yeah, yeah, I guess." He relented, causing the loli-shota host to burst into another fit of frenzied shouts.

The rest of the hosts (sans Kyoya, who was already informed), summoned by their eldest's squeals, crowded around the trio **[A/N: _Mori-senpai is there, too! Don't forget my baby... ;-;_ ]**.

"What's that, you say?" "Haruka-chan's awake?" Hikaru and Kaoru said, respectively, linking their arms together.

"My daughter?!" Tamaki screeched, separating the twins to burst from in between them dramatically. "Mommy, did you hear that?! We must visit her immediately! We must swathe her in gifts of utmost quality! Cancel the Host Club, we are—!"

"—Tamaki." The Kyoya all but hissed, his infamous Shadow King persona making an appearance. "Kida-san does not require our presence, and will not have disappeared by the time we finish Hosting. We will be holding the Host Club as planned, and afterwards, we will visit Kida-san. Understood?" Kyoya finished, glasses glinting ominously.

"Y-yes, Mommy!" Tamaki whimpered, making a beeline for his corner, before he was interrupted by Kyoya once again.

"Don't even think about it. The Host Club opens in fifteen minutes. We don't have time for your frivolous antics." The words hurt Tamaki so deeply, that they physically manifested into an arrow, piercing his heart. Kyoya chose to ignore this, and as the Host Club King mourned his pride on the floor (as the corner was off-limits, for the time being), the rest of the Hosts began questioning Soul.

"When exactly did she wake up?" Kaoru inquired, his twin nodding in agreement.

"Like, yesterday." Soul said, tampering his excitement in front of his much-despised peers.

"Yaaay! We're going to go see Ha-chi!" Honey yelled excitedly, flowers spontaneously sprouting around his head. "Doesn't that sound fun, Usa-chan?" He questioned the stuffed animal.

Ten minutes later, the Hosts were assembled in front of the large double doors that separated the third music room from the large maze of winding hallways characteristic of Ouran. Tamaki, as per usual, briefed the Hosts for a few minutes, before settling in his spot and counting down from ten, at which point, Kyoya pressed a button, which opened the doors of the Third Music Room, releasing a hoard of hormone-driven females.

Settled in his seat, Soul looked up at a female who looked as if she was just about ready to burst from excitement.

"Evans-kun, you seem so happy today! Did something happen?"

Soul barely repressed a cringe at the mention of his last name. At least he had been getting (somewhat) used to hearing it. "Er, is it that noticeable?" He asked, scratching his head with feigned embarrassment (or so he liked to think).

"Aww, so cute!" The girl squealed, question entirely forgotten.

As the majority of Soul's female clients spasmed in excitement, Sora, who had been sitting at his side, scooted closer. "So... What happened with you?" She drawled, retracting the hand she had used to poke him, with an eyebrow raised.

Repressing the urge to roll his eyes, Soul groaned instead. Glancing at Sora's determined eyes, he could obviously tell that she was not planning on backing down. 'Stubborn,' he thought, his mind wandering to his equally stubborn meister, causing a smile to rip across his face (releasing a paralyzing wave of pheromones which kept the remainder of his clients at bay for a few moments more).

"'Rukka's awake." He cut to the chase, unable to contain his smile.

* * *

Sora settled into her seat comfortably, quickly running a hand over her dress to smooth it. It wasn't the proper way to sit down (as she had been scolded for doing so time and time again), but she couldn't be bothered. What did it matter anyway? She was getting married as soon as she graduated, so she didn't need to keep up appearances in an effort to attract a husband. She quite liked pushing the boundaries of her engagement, anyway. In the midst of her thoughts, she vaguely heard a female's voice.

"Evans-kun, you seem so happy today! Did something happen?"

Sora glanced at the girl, who was flushed, had her head bowed, and was gripping the hem of her dress with both hands in obvious nervousness, the excitement with which she asked her question largely diminished.

Bo-ring.

Sora's eyes flicked to Soul, noting his posture. Hands constantly moving around in indecision (although they were, at that particular moment, pressed on the edge of the couch, as if he was ready to run), which would have been taken for anxiety, were it not for the perpetual smirk (or maybe not so, as it often faded into a boyish smile, characteristic of the twins) that his face expressed. Furthermore, every so often, he would tap his leg impatiently—although those hormone-crazed females obviously couldn't notice—before reigning in the urge, though he soon started up again, a clear sign that he wanted to be somewhere else at the present time.

Sora hadn't realized she was ogling until she heard the familiar deafness-inducing squeals of her schoolmates. Like, sheesh, the girls at Ouran have some impressive lungs. She had missed Soul's reply! But she was curious, too, dammit! Her mind frantically thought around for something so say that'd get her answers without her feeling like an airhead. 'Might as well ask, right? Chances are, the girls didn't last long enough to get a clear answer out of him. And if they did, I can just ask as if I'm asking for details. Worst case scenario, he already explained everything in great detail, but all things considering, I highly doubt that that happened.'

Sora scooched closer to Soul subtly, before poking him repeatedly until he looked at her. Having garnered his attention, she spoke. "So... What happened with you?"

She watched as the albino tipped his head back in slight annoyance (not that she cared much), giving her a sideways glance. She turned her body to face him, face set on utter determination. He sighed, shaking his head, but grinning all the while. Sora observed, with great surprise, as his lopsided grin leveled off, quickly becoming a genuine smile—one that she would never have thought would come across his features.

A brilliant red blush spread across her face, the hue near to that of her hair. She was so blinded by the beauty of his smile, that she nearly missed the words that he spoke.

In fact, it wasn't until much later, while she was laying in her bed at home, that they finally registered in her head.

"'Rukka's awake."

Sora's eyebrows furrowed. ''Rukka? Who... Oh, that girl that was with him on the first day of school? Come to think of it, she had been MIA ever since a few days after she transferred.' Sora thought, snuggling further into the covers. 'Her name was Kida-chan, wasn't it?' She smiled to herself.

'Kida-chan must be an amazing person to be able to make even Soul-kun smile like that. I wonder what she's like...'

Sora shot up in her bed, a fresh idea in her brain, which she yelled out quite loudly.

"Yosh! I'm going to visit Kida-chan tomorrow!" She triumphantly declared. Her vigor, however, disappeared quite suddenly, when she crumpled. "Agh... If only I was awake today, I could've asked Soul-kun... I missed my chance..!" She wailed, covering her face to the best of her ability with her short, scruffy red bob.

Sighing, Sora decided to get up for a snack. Walking downstairs, she passed her parents, who were in the kitchen, chatting over some papers. Her mother looked up, pushing a few blonde locks behind her ear.

"Sora, Honey, you're up already? Couldn't sleep? I have something for that—Ooh, is it a boy? You know I have no problem with calling off the arranged marriage for my little Sora-chan! That Wataru-san was kind of a slob anyway—"

"Kaa-san*, please." Sora intercepted, blushing, and avoiding the gaze of the woman who passed down her chatterbox quality. Her father, a man of tall stature, chuckled heartily, his short, russet-colored hair reflecting much light off of its surface.

"You'd better run off before your mother goes off on a tangent." He said, shaking his head. "But, just to be sure, it's not a boy, is it?" He asked this with a smile, although the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees, similar to the time he discovered that his wife had signed a marriage contract without his knowledge.

"It's not, Tou-san*," she nervously lied, turning away quickly and darting out of the dining room, into the kitchen. Faintly, she heard her mother scold her father, an accompanying smack following the berating statement. Sora put her hands around her throat, feigning a retching motion, but smiled immediately after, shaking her head. Reaching for an apple, Sora glanced at the ornate grandfather clock in the room. Her eyes widened, settling on the golden Roman numerals. It was early! And she always slept in after school!

Sora stretched her limbs, a genuine yawn escaping from her lips. But she felt well-rested?

'Oh well, doesn't matter.' She thought, pushing the matter to the back of her mind. More time to sharpen her newest blades, she figured.

* * *

Soul called for his limo driver to return to the villa, slightly irritated, but relieved that Hosting was over. The blond idiot had insisted on the entire club riding together, and Soul had figured that it'd be more trouble than it was worth to dissuade him. And thus, the entirety of the Host Club was currently in one of Tamaki's limos, on their way to Soul's and his partner's current abode (information supplied only the Shadow King could provide, of course).

Naturally, Soul was on the end opposite the eccentric blond, and was instead seated between the gentle giant, and one of the twins. By said twin was Haruhi, who was sandwiched between the doppelgängers. Then, at the opposite end of the limo, sat the very King himself. On his other side was Tuna Guy, then Honey-senpai (he still struggled with that one), and the circle was completed by his tall counterpart. Soul stared pointedly out the window, as he absently listened to the chatter which resonated throughout the sleek limousine.

Were it not for the soundproofing padding that equipped the luxurious limo, the entire neighborhood (that they were passing through, on the way to the villa), would have, no doubt been drawn from their respective homes to investigate the clamour which the Hosts created. Soul rolled his eyes, before returning his gaze towards the window. His eyes reflexively flicked from corner to corner, fervently analyzing the streets, scanning for potential threats. Meanwhile, his mind whirred in thought. 'Might as well warn Maka,' he thought, closing his eyes.

* * *

When Soul opened his eyes next, he was greeted with a brilliant spectrum of colors, painting the sky into a picturesque sunrise. It was always dusk in Maka's mind; the beginning of a new day. Also, it turned out that Maka really enjoyed their time up north (excluding the whole Free fiasco), because her soul was a large tundra, dotted with the occasional tree.

Soul could count the number of times he had been in his meister's soul on one hand, so it took a bit of searching before her found where he was supposed to go. He stopped in front of a large, snow-white mansion which, strangely, brought on no ill memories of his childhood. Pushing open the gargantuan bleached-white double doors, he entered without reserve. Soul stepped into the spacious living room, eyes landing on the various angel-themed furniture (none of which was even in use). She was a Grigori soul, after all. After crossing the room, he came to a hall, which forked off into two paths. He had only been down one before; Maka had adamantly declared that he didn't need to see what was in the other, and he respected that.

No matter how tempting it was.

So Soul grudgingly took the 'safe' path (distinguished by the worn-down quality of the wooden floor there—typical Maka), where he immediately encountered his meister, surrounded by shelves upon shelves of books. She was sprawled out on the floor, and swaddled by at least four comforters.

"What happened? I was busy." She groused, nose poking put from her silken alcove.

Soul sat down in front of her, opening up the covers so he could see her face. Of course, there were about ten different books under there, and yet another in her arms. And it was glowing. Maka slammed the book shut, but Soul had managed to catch a glimpse of what she was looking at: chubby arms splaying out towards blonde hair, similarly pigtailed hair flying every which way. It looked to be from the reader's (or watcher's) point of view—ah, they were memories.

Soul decided not to mention it, instead answering Maka's question. "I know you'd be able to tell once they got close, but I just figured I'd give you a head's up. The Host Club is coming over. Just in case you need to put away anything or whatever." He summarized.

"What, that's it? I was only exercising. Well, now that I think about it, I guess I'll need to put everything away..." Maka trailed off. "And I would have noticed once they got within a mile of the house, but unless I was actively seeking out souls, I wouldn't have known they were coming here; thanks!"

Soul nodded, while Maka stood, coverings falling off of her shoulders. She was wearing a white miniskirt and tank top, and white tights, but no shoes. Out of her back sprouted two, currently furled up wings, and atop her head was a golden crown, with assorted green gems.

And it was lopsided. And also stuck there.

Kid would have thrown a fit.

Soul looked at her getup, highly amused, recalling the first time he had been in her soul room, and how he had fallen over in laughter. Of course, them being in her mind didn't staunch the pain that came with her Maka-chop then. And, just his luck, as it affected his head, the pain transferred over to his real body as well. Soul shook off the memory, reigning in his smirk.

Maka smiled. "Well, I guess I should be cleaning up now. Who knows how close you guys are now, what with how long we've been here." She then winced. "I think I fell on the treadmill."

Soul's eyes widened. "Shit, I forgot about that!"

Maka sighed, before smiling. "Don't worry about it. Once we exercise my soul room enough, we'll be able to come here without causing my body to pass out! I'll only freeze, like yours! Yosh!" She declared, curling her hand into a fist. "Okay, bye!" She said, smiling.

Soul waved back, and the room dispersed.

* * *

Both Honey's and Mori's eyes widened, as they sensed the presence of one of their clubmates disappear completely. Heads whipping to the side in sync, the two stared at the collapsed albino in the corner. Of course, no one, besides the sagacious Shadow King, noticed the sudden alertness of the two seniors. He peered up from his computer screen, more concerned than he would ever admit by the serious aura that his cake-loving senpai was radiating.

"Is something the matter, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai?" He quietly asked, not wanting to gain the attention of his best friend, which would undoubtedly create unneeded commotion. He was even more surprised when both seniors flat-out ignored him. He turned his head to face the object of the two's focus, eyes registering their newest Host. What was so wrong, that both seniors suddenly stopped everything to stare? Kyoya's eyes sweeped over the first-year's body. It wasn't long before he figured it out.

Soul had stopped breathing.

Kyoya's eyes widened a fraction, mentally calling on the expanse of information he had absorbed about oxygen deprivation.

 _Permanent brain damage can occur three minutes without oxygen._

 _Few live past the five-minute mark._

Kyoya was very near to losing his composure (alerting Tamaki), when both of his seniors relaxed. His eyes snapped towards his junior to see him opening his eyes. Kyoya sighed lightly.

"What is wrong, _mon ami_?"

Kyoya turned to look at the anxious eyes of his best friend, and noticed the eyes of the twins and Haruhi on him, as well. He shook his head, sharing a glance with the resident seniors of the Host Club.

"...Nothing at all."

Tamaki smiled goofily at his words. "The driver said a while ago that we would be there soon!" He cheered.

"Actually," "We're already here, Tono." The twins chorused with feigned nonchalance, although Tamaki was the sole person who could not hear those voices teeming with excitement. Meanwhile, three people watched, perplexed, as Soul stretched and yawned, as if nothing had ever happened.

"So-chan sure must've been tired!" Honey chirped, dispelling the tense atmosphere that clouded around those able to detect it. He waited until everyone had piled out the limo to address his cousin, who was staring holes in his back.

"He was sleeping. It must've taken incredible training to be able to erase his presence entirely. It seemed as if he wasn't even breathing, Takashi."

His cousin paused, before speaking. "We will gain no answers this way," he said, knowing that his cousin would figure out the rest.

"...Yeah. Thanks, Takashi!" Honey smiled, quickly sliding out of the car with his caretaker before anyone noticed their absence.

* * *

"This is quite a quaint dwelling! Although very small." Tamaki declared, before turning around to face Soul. Or, more like, shove a finger in Soul's face. "You must be a commoner, as well, to live in such a tiny abode! Oh, how intimidated you and Kida-hime must have been, when you encountered a slightly privileged group such as ourselves; how scared you—"

"—Shut up, who would be intimidated by you?" Soul interrupted, roughly batting away Tamaki's hand. His eyebrow twitched as the blond crumpled, clutching his hand as if it had been amputated, and began crying dramatically. 'Just who would be intimidated by someone as retarded as him?' Soul rolled his eyes in annoyance.

The group, headed by Soul (to which Tamaki grudgingly acquiesced), mounted the stairs. Soul lightly rapped on the door with his knuckles. Seconds later, an old butler with a monocle opened the door. Closing it behind the group, he laughed for no apparent reason, before disappearing down a hallway, where a suspicious pop and hissing sound was heard.

Soul shook his head, and began walking deeper into the house.

"Pardon the intrusion!" The majority of the Hosts called out (the exceptions being Tamaki and the twins, who were not taught such formalities).

Haruhi glanced at Soul, noting his silence. His lack of announcing his presence could be taken as a lack of good teaching, or foreign mannerisms. She narrowed her eyes. He did have a tan, after all.

Naturally, she was not the only one to notice these things.

Kyoya scribbled furiously in his notepad, while Honey and Mori shared a glance. The three had their respective suspicions about the two transfer students which, as time went on, were beginning to solidify.

Soul decided not to yell, deducing that it was pointless to. Maka knew they had arrived, after all. He began towards Maka's room, with the entire Host Club in tow. As he neared the door, he could feel his meister's soul spazzing out in anxiety, as well as slight anger. 'Figures. I'd be anxious, too. Hell, I'd be pissed.' he thought, smirking.

Soul slowed to a stop in front of Maka's door, the Hosts stopping also. Soul reached for the doorknob, swinging it open.

Then chaos ensued.

* * *

Maka had just finished putting the treadmill away when she felt the souls of the entire Host Club, plus Soul, within the perimeters of the house.

Shaking her head, she padded back into her room. She sure stunk, after exercising so long! Closing the door behind her, Maka quickly shed her clothes, tossing them down a shoot, which transferred them directly to the laundry room.

Maka's eyebrows furrowed when the souls of her temporary schoolmates passed the living room. Oh, Death. Soul was bringing them here! A bit annoyed, she began to rummage through her draws in search of something to wear. She quickly became flustered when she realized that the maids had done her laundry, and had rearranged her dresser accordingly! All that came up were lacy sleepwear and underwear.

Maka became increasingly flustered as her guests drew near—the end of the hallway, to be exact. Slamming the drawers shut, she ran to the other set of drawers across the room, and sighed in relief. She was beyond nervous now, as she picked up a random dress, and black tights. Black went with everything, right?

She didn't have time to verify that statement. Soul and the others were only a few feet away.

'No!' She screamed in her mind frustratedly.

She quickly slipped the article of clothing over her ankles and stood up, jumping to pull them up her legs. Just as the tights reached halfway up her thighs, the door opened.

Maka's head whipped to the door, mortified, as she saw the Host Club. Soul looked to be in the middle of walking into her room, but at the sight of her changing, quickly crossed the threshold of the door and beveled on his foot, slamming it in the Hosts' faces.

"S-shit, I'm sorry, Maka!" He furiously whispered, averting his gaze.

Maka blushed, stammering due to her embarrassment. She dropped herself on her bed, shaking in disbelief, and mumbling into the sheets. After collecting herself, she turned around, and chucked a novel at his head, hitting her target dead-on. This, however, didn't abate her rage or mortification. She neared her partner with another as he recovered from her previous assault.

Soul looked up, and dread filled his eyes upon seeing Maka approaching him with another hardcover in hand, which filled her with a sense of pleased satisfaction. She smirked, and various pieces of literature rained upon Soul's head for thirty seconds. By the end, he was teetering of the edge of unconsciousness.

While her partner's life hung in the balance in the corner, Maka took his moment of forced complacency to finish changing, after deducing that her clothes did, indeed match. After spritzing on perfume to ensure that she didn't stink (she didn't sweat much), she fitted on a pair of black flats.

Huffing in finality, she slapped Soul awake. Drowsily, he opened his eyes. As Maka was the first thing he saw, his eyes widened in fear, before he deduced that she wasn't going to attack him. At that particular moment in time, at least. He quickly apologized again.

"Well, whatever—it's fine, I guess. I mean, there's nothing I can do about it now." She said, shoulders drooping.

A wave of pain shot through her head, the aftermath of having passed out on the treadmill. Soul must've seen the expression on her face change from embarrassment to pain (or felt it), because his face immediately changed, as well.

"What happened?" He asked in concern.

"Ugh, just a headache." She said, purposely leaving out the cause in consideration of her weapon, although she knew that he'd figure it out nevertheless.

Which he did, of course.

He immediately attributed her headache to his blunder, as a matter of fact.

"S-sorry..."

"It's fine, geez." She said, waving off his apology. As the pain temporarily ebbed, her mind flipped back to the situation at hand.

A blush spread across her face again. Who saw? She caught a glimpse of orange before Soul reacted, but there was a chance that not only one or both of the twins saw. She sighed. Might as well go outside and find out. She was too mentally exhausted to peek at their souls. That, and she didn't exactly want to know what they were thinking, either. Those perverted twins, especially.

Maka nudged Soul grumpily, but he got the message, going before her to open the door. They were met face-to-face with a contrite Host Club, the majority of their faces adorned with blushes (save for Kyoya, Honey, and Haruhi, of course. Even Mori had the faintest of color on his face).

Maka kept her face down as Soul led the group down the stairs. Her eyebrow furrowed as the pain of her headache resumed, and she clutched her head in exaggeration, taking care to do it out of Soul's line of sight. The Hosts each glanced at her with varying degrees of visible concern, but kept quiet, due to the tension. Not that Maka noticed. She was too busy scrutinizing her feet and, at the same time, trying to ward off her headache. Not to mention, she was too distracted to perceive the troubled state of their souls.

Once the group had returned to the living room, Soul hastily departed from the tense atmosphere to fetch Maka some pills. Meanwhile, Maka dared a glance at the group around her, noticing that the blushes of three of the Hosts had still not receded. When she met eyes with the oldest Host, he smiled and jumped onto her lap. An audible exhale was simultaneously released by most occupants of the room, as Honey began asking questions energetically.

"Ha-chi! Are you okay? When will you be able to come back to school? Wah, it must've been super boring for you to stay here by yourself all day, right? Waah, that sounds so sad, Ha-chi! That doesn't sound fair at all!" The short boy ranted, throwing his hands into the air like a child. Maka giggled lightly at the boy before responding. "I can only answer one question at a time!"

The boy calmed down, if only slightly, before pouting and apologizing sheepishly. At that moment, Soul returned to the room, visibly untensing as he realized that the awkward atmosphere from earlier had disappeared. However, at his entrance, Tamaki immediately stood up, loudly yelling "You!" and pointing at him from across the room. Features hardening in an effort to brace himself (although inwardly, he wanted nothing more than to eject the Hosts from his temporary dwelling), Soul handed two pills and a glass of water to his meister, before grudgingly rounding the larger table.

"Y-you!" Tamaki repeated, although with a hint of embarrassment this time. "How dare you molest my daughter!"

Soul choked, his normally unflappable expression melting away, as Maka mirrored his reaction, pills caught in her throat. As she recovered from her coughing fit (Honey flitting over her worriedly, and Soul glancing back to ensure that she was okay), the rest of the Hosts turned toward Soul for his reaction.

"Molesting?" Soul dumbly asked, gaping at the blond. He didn't think he'd ever get used to his ridiculousness.

Gaining confidence, the half-Frenchman elaborated.

"How dare you enter into a maiden's room uninvited, you—you mongrel! Imbecile! "

At this point, the twins comfortably rested an elbow on each of Tamaki's shoulders.

"Now, Tono..." Kaoru started, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"...You're only saying so because you didn't get to see Kida-chan's womanly body..." His twin picked up, mirroring his actions.

"...You pervert." Kaoru finished, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, in perfect sync with his brother.

The blonde blushed heavily, gaping at the two, before his expression changed to anger. "You devil twins!" He screeched, proceeding to chase the two around the room. Soul sighed, walking back over to sit next to his meister. When the twins tapped his shoulder, he glanced around the room, quickly spotting Tamaki in a unusually dark corner (cultivating mushrooms, of course), before turning his attention back to the pair.

"But, really, Soul-kun..."

"...You really are a pervert, closing yourself in the same room as Kida-chan, while you kicked all of us out."

"You wanted her all to yourself, didn't you?"

"What a pervert." The two concluded, causing the weapon/meister team to blush again.

"It's not like that!" He denied, before reconsidering his reply. "Why do I have to explain myself to you, anyway?" He muttered.

The twins grinned to each other. "Ooh, did you hear that, dear brother?" Hikaru started, purposely whisper-screaming.

"Oh, yes I did, brother, dear." Kaoru replied in the same fashion, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Soul-kun doesn't want to explain himself to us!" Hikaru continued.

"How racy!" Kaoru snickered.

The weight of Soul's heavyset frown was lessened, due to the fact that his cheeks were adorned with an equally heavyset blush—one whose existence the twins were determined to preserve as long as possible.

"I wonder how often Soul-kun takes advantage of Kida-chan's frailness!" Hikaru said, swiftly changing tactics.

"And, to think, she lives together with this horrible pervert!" Kaoru whined, mockingly cowering behind his raised hand.

Hikaru, being unable to help himself, fell into his brotherly love act. "Oh, Kaoru! You'll never take advantage of me, right?"

"Of course not, dear brother! I'd forsake even all the people of the Earth, if only to ensure your safety!" Kaoru replied in kind, embracing his brother without missing a beat.

"K-kaoru! Don't embarrass me like that!" Hikaru bashfully muttered into Kaoru's shoulder, hugging his twin tightly.

The moment, of course, was lost, when Soul spat "You damn perverted twins," returning everyone to reality.

Including Tamaki.

"Men!" He cried, raising up from his spot on the floor. "And you two ladies, of course," he amended, nodding towards Maka and Haruhi. "I have decided that a Host Club excursion is in order!" He proclaimed loudly, earning mixed reaction from the group, as you can probably imagine. He then launched into a monologue about 'seeing to the growth of his beloved son,' leaving the group the lapse into a long period of irritation. Thankfully, it was rectified when Haruhi commented on the triviality of the speech, sending Tamaki hurtling towards his corner of woe.

"Needless to say, I have already made the proper arrangements for everyone, including Evans-san and Kida-san," Kyoya said, once it had quieted down some. "We will depart on Friday, immediately following the closure of the Host Club, remaining at the vacation site for the entirety of the week-long vacation." He concluded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a slim, manicured finger.

Soul decided not to voice his displeasure—figuring it would hardly matter, anyway—though it showed clearly on his face.

Displeasure which, resulting from a certain blond's approach, only worsened. Tamaki, heedless of Soul's anger as always, gripped the weapon's shoulders to look the taller boy in the eyes.

"I will train you to be a proper gentleman." He said, donning an intense look. "Not often is it that I decide to take on a disciple. You should be honored to be learning from such an undeniably perfect being such as I!" He then continued, losing Soul's interest entirely. The albino disengaged the blond's fingers from his body (not that he even noticed, the airhead), turning to his meister. Who was nodding off. Finally, the side effects of the pill were beginning to show.

"You can sleep on me, y'know," Soul mumbled under his breath, so that it could hardly be heard over the din of the room.

"That's rude..." Maka murmured back, causing Soul to kiss his teeth in annoyance.

"Tch! Sleep!" He said, pushing her head onto his shoulder. "Stubborn." He said, when she didn't fight, but instead put her head in his lap, foregoing formalities. Maka figured it would accentuate her guise of frailne—oh, who was she kidding? She was tired, had a headache, and wanted to sleep.

Soul regarded her internal strife (via their soul connection) with high interest, before dropping his smirk to turn back to the group. Who was looking at him. His irritation quickly spiked.

"What?!" Soul yelled, contrary to what the logical side of his brain advised.

"You _mongr_ —!"

"Soul-kun's getting it _on_ , isn—?"

"How _bold_ , Soul-ku—!"

"Wah, Ha-chi is so _cuuu_ —!"

Every spoke at once, enraging the studying Haruhi, who had been making good use of the few moments of silence from before. The dormant third demon of the Host Club rose up from her seat and walked over to Tamaki.

"Shut up, you're annoying me." She hissed, sending his flying towards the nearest corner in 0.2 seconds. Next, she approached the twins, who did not even dare laugh, but rather cowered at the borderline satanic aura that was quickly advancing towards them. Instead of putting them down with her tongue, she reached out and pulled their ears, stretching them far apart, before slamming their heads together. The two collapsed in a heap, cradling their ears.

Finally, she set her sights on Honey. Clearly, she would not be able to overpower him in a physical battle (or even hurt him); even her demon side acknowledged this. So, instead, Haruhi positioned the most caustic glare she could on the short senior, instantly reducing him to tears. Oh, well. She'd just hope that Mori'd understand. Returning to her seat, Kyoya decided to make use of the utter silence that encapsulated the room.

"As Kida-san appears to still need rest, we shall now take our leave." He concisely relayed, before walking over to the door, grabbing the collar of his best friend's uniform in the process. The Hosts followed behind, though just as quietly as before. No one wanted to trigger a relapse of Haruhi's wrath.

The head butler closed the door behind the group. Once they were gone, Soul let out a sigh. Spending time with those guys was exhausting. Grabbing the remote from the table beside the couch, he put the TV on low.

Moments later, he was asleep.

* * *

Maka rubbed her eyes, turning to shield her arms from the cool evening air. Turning her head to look above her, she saw her partner's chin, illuminated by the light of the TV. Red eyes flickered to face her briefly, before returning to the screen. "Feeling better?" He asked absently.

"Yeah, thanks." She replied, stretching her limbs out and yawning. Soul repositioned his legs, which Maka noticed. "Sorry, were you stuck here this whole time?"

"It's cool, slept. Wanna get something to eat?"

Maka's stomach answered for her, causing raucous laughter from Soul, at her expense.

When it had ended, Soul's eyes widened in excitement. "Oh yeah, look!" He said, grinning, before drawing Maka's attention to an array of colored ropes attached to the dresser, which disappeared somewhere into the floor. He pulled a golden-brown colored one, and maids began filing out of the kitchen almost immediately, toting various dishes. The pair watched in awe as they made quick work of arranging the plates, before leaving.

"I could get used to that," he said, once they had gone.

"Yeah, but you better not get too used to it. We'll have to go back someday." Maka said, picking up the elegantly painted chopsticks that sat by her plate.

Soul made a face at her statement, but didn't comment otherwise, leaving Maka to pick up the conversation.

"I wonder where we're going for vacation..." She mused out loud. "I had been hoping to look around the city some more for anything irregular, too."

Soul made a noise of agreement as he slurped his noodles loudly.

"I think I'm going to ask Tamaki to show me around again when I go back tomorrow, after hosting is done." She said, ignoring Soul's groan of displeasure at the sound of the blond's name. "Like, the clubs and such. I mean, even though we haven't been here long, we haven't made much ground, either." Soul merely groaned louder. "You don't have to come!" She said rolling her eyes. "But you should, I dunno, try and go out with the twins around the town. They probably know the place well." Soul groaned again. Maka sighed, deciding to leave the topic alone. She instead peered at Soul with a mixture of contempt and knowing.

"Now, where are my notes?"

 ***Kaa-san: Mother in Japanese.**

 ***Tou-san: Father in Japanese.**

 **A/N: Erm... Hi! So... I did it again, but here's a long chapter of apology? I just don't have that much time... I have a week off right now, but I'm not even supposed to be on the laptop right now (mom problems). I posted this yesterday on Wattpad... It's just much easier to post on there; I have to get on my computer and everything to post on fanfiction. ;-; Right after posting it on Wattpad, I started writing the next chapter, and I've got a good chunk done... The update should be faster this time, without a doubt. Dunno about the next one, erm... School is getting hectic. Sorry! *Bows***

 **Dah, well, the story is slowly moving along, and Soul and Maka are finally getting some work done! Hurrah! Or, just about to, I guess. But who is this Sora character, and why is she relevant to the story? What does Tamaki have in store for Soul? Will Kyoya inevitably make a profit over Soul's suffering? (You know he will.) I'll do my best to write all week, but I also have to practice for NYSSMA competitions. I'm going for violin level 6, yey! (Wow, I can't believe I'm doing this, yet I haven't even updated for almost two months.)**

 **Anyways, still put in votes for whose Hosting station you want Maka to end up at, yadda yadda yadda.**

 **Byeee!**

 **Also, happy belated Valentine's Day! I ate an entire cake (and then some), some ice cream, and ten chocolate bars. No, I don't have a problem.**

 **ADDICTION TO CHOCOLATE IS NOT A PROBLEM.**

Posted: February 17, 2016  
Updated: February 27, 2016

 _~Reginna Grace_


	16. Welcome to the Black Magic Club!

**A/N: If an author did this to me, I would've given up on them by now. For those of you who haven't, thank you. Thank you so much.**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **readed: Thank you! c: I-it pains me to say this, but... I know the struggle of waiting for writers to update, too. ;-; I would've given up if I had to wait this long, so, like I said above, thank you so much if you're still holding on!  
amy2may: Thank you so much! That means a lot, I was never expecting anyone to address that! But I guess that's because you're a writer, too, ne? ;)  
Yoshida Haru: Huehuehue, thanks. And thank you for the chapter name, I was seriously stuck!  
reader: It's fine** **—** **If typos mean you're a special kind of stupid, I guess AP stands for... Abnormally Paltry (I had to think hard about that one. Think hard=thesaurus, btw). As for my cover picture, I literally just pulled it off of google and put some words on it. XD I can draw, but not _that_ good. Not yet. O-one day..!  
pokelover01: Thank you so much! To be honest, I completely forgot about her. Thanks for opening my eyes; I've managed to add her into this chapter, and she'll make a bigger appearance next chapter... whenever it comes. :/  
SOKFACE: *Tosses steak* Um, hai. T-thank you for your patience (is afraid for next comment). Well, it has been consuming a lot of my time, as evidence by this time lapse... But I won't bore you with the story of my life for the past few months. *tosses chocolate cake* If this hashtag becomes a thing, I'll die. Just, like, among you guys. That'd be hilarious.  
KaeterinaRomanov: Thank you so much! Here it is, although I'm sorry for the lateness.  
Lchocoteddy: Thank you so much! It's okay, everyone has different talents. I'm positive that there's more to you than just a name on the internet, after all. *whispers* That corner has mushrooms growing in it, you should come out. As for Maka's dream, there will be more in the future, as well as an explanation.  
Guest: Thank you so much! ...But unfortunately, I can't count that vote in, because you have to vote for a specific host. I'm glad you like my story!  
MarbleRabbit: Thanks, glad you think so! :3 Hope you enjoy this one, too!  
Cherriesontop: Sorry for the wait, here it is! I'm glad you like it!  
slice n dice: Well, I haven't died or anything, life just got in the way 'n stuffs. Here it is; I hope you enjoy!  
Guest: I imagine you're squealing about Soul, in which case... Aawwwwwwwww! He's so adorable. ;w; I also enjoyed writing that scene with Fuyumi, she's a fun character to write. :3  
Acinorev Seed: Pshh... It wasn't my inspiration or anything, pshh... Shhh..! XD**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!  
**

 **Acinorev Seed  
Animelover5689  
BakedBeanFart  
Cecilia54  
CelestialGodSlayer16  
Chibi-Can  
Child of Clover  
DMCP  
DragonStar7Queen  
ELLADPARK  
Eli Castellan  
FairyTailFanPan18  
Frostyhearts15  
GummyBear1030  
KaeterinaRomanov  
KuroAlice  
Lchocoteddy  
LevyNyx2003  
MiniMeeka  
Morrow Days  
Mystic Piss  
Polarbear101  
RikuOfTheDesert  
Sandile's Darkness  
Scientist Zimmena  
Shadowmystery99  
ShinyUmbreon2001  
Stucky-and-Solangelo  
The stories about love  
eebird  
jensul  
mari47405  
percab8531  
pervywolfgirl  
pokelover01  
supercrazyfangirl  
usagifriend  
valeriaoseguera10  
vampireanna'dancer  
watermelon21**

 **AND THE FAVORITES!  
**

 **Acinorev Seed  
** **Animelover5689  
** **AstroMutt345  
** **BakedBeanFart  
** **bobatasaurus  
** **CelestialGodSlayer16  
** **Chibi-Can  
** **Eli Castellan  
** **FreePandaHugs  
** **Frostyhearts15  
** **GummyBear1030  
** **HiHelloIWeird  
** **jensul  
** **KaeterinaRomanov  
** **Lchocoteddy  
** **LevyNyx2003  
** **Mackenzie098  
** **mari47405  
** **Morrow Days  
** **pokelover01  
** **Polarbear101  
** **re12re  
** **Sandile's Darkness  
** **Scientist Zimmena  
** **Stucky-and-Solangelo  
** **valeriaoseguera10  
** **vampireanna'dancer  
** **watermelon21  
** **winxgirlmt**

 **Whaelp,** **TenableCape9819, here's your training scene! :3**

 **Without further ado, let's begin!  
**

 **Chapter 16: Welcome to the Black Magic Club!**

Maka stretched out on her bed, stuffing her book under her pillow. She had read all through the night, completely wasting the time that she normally set aside for her to work out in the mornings (she had to maintain her body somehow). Oh, well. She'd just double up after school, then.

Throwing the covers off of her petite frame, Maka made her way towards the bathroom for a shower. Half an hour later, she exited. Passing by Soul's room, she knocked on his door, pausing to hear the telltale curse which signalled his awakening, before continuing on her way.

She'd finally be going back to school today! Ouran wasn't much—when compared to DWMA—but at least her brain had something to do! Though she excelled at the math, science, and the limited ELA classes that DWMA offered, Ouran offered advanced ELA classes, as well as history, and other peculiar subjects, such as health (which hardly taught anything concerning actual first aid) and economics (which was basically a vocabulary class). Although she hardly saw the need for such subjects, Maka enjoyed the variety of fields that she experienced at Ouran.

Face scrunching up in disagreement, she slipped on the yellow monstrosity, before heading downstairs. The young meister was curled up on the couch, face-first in a book, and halfway through her meal—which had become lukewarm-by the time her partner arrived.

He planted himself next to her, heaving an exasperated sigh. His meister raised an eyebrow in silent question, to which he answered.

"This mission is already boring..." He groused angrily.

"Well, there's hardly anything we can do about it, but gather more information for now. Maybe I'll sit with Kyoya-senpai today and just listen in on news and such... And have Tamaki show me the clubs afterwards."

Soul grumbled lightly, before digging into the steaming plate that a maid had just placed in front of him.

The two lapsed into a comfortable, but lacking, silence. Not even Blair was there to break it. Probably out, commuting with some male cats. Not that it mattered to Soul what Blair was doing—hell, he just wanted some entertainment!

Soul sighed into his food.

Boooooooring.

* * *

Maka slowly pushed open the doors of the Host Club, with much apprehension. Peeking in, she wasn't surprised to see the Hosts, sans Haruhi, standing in the center. As most of them turned in her direction, Maka shut her eyes tightly, the most she allowed herself to do in preparation of the onslaught she was sure to shortly receive. Sure enough, she was quickly catapulted off of her feet, the whooshing of air rendering the numerous reactions to her appearance inaudible (to her, at least). As she flew in a wide arc around the over-excited man-child, she pressed her legs together in order to avoid flashing anyone. (She often wore short skirts; she knew the struggle!) 'How did he even get here that fast, he was across the room!' Maka thought in absent confusion, as dizziness began to set in.

"Stop!" She pleaded, however much she wanted to bellow and Maka-chop him into the ground. Her anger rose as her plea went unheeded. "Please... Let me down...!" She once again cried weakly out to him, yet he only spoke over her pleas. She shut her eyes tightly, breathing deeply, as she was getting light-headed.

Suddenly, she was pulled out of Tamaki's arms and cradled close to a large form. 'Mori,' she observed. She waited a moment—just long enough for her to hear Tamaki's whine of _you didn't have to do that, Mori-senpai_ —before peering up. The giant (who was, in actuality, just a bit taller than Soul) looked down at her in silent assessment. She acted as if oblivious to this, squeaking out an apology. Of course, her circumstantial blush furthered her act. Mori grunted his reply, setting her down with an unbelievably great caliber of gentleness for someone of his breadth and stature.

Once planted on the ground, Maka brushed off her skirt, before tentatively making her way towards Tamaki. No reason to risk another episode, after all. But, as if he had some sort of soul-sensing ability (which he didn't, as she was sure; Maka quadruple-checked daily), his head whipped around to face her the moment she started in his direction.

"Kida-hime! Have you decided to come back to me? I _knew_ that you—"

"—Tamaki, she obviously has something to say, and you are interrupting her." Kyoya cut in.

Kyoya to the rescue. Yay.

Resisting the urge to weep, Tamaki sniffled deeply before turning to face Maka again, his entire composure flipping in an instant. Rose petals sprouted around him and he knelt before her, eyes sparkling. "Was there something that you needed of me, my precious daughter?" He asked, taking her hand in his.

Resisting the urge to slap his hand away and chuck a dictionary at his head, Maka smiled shyly (thank Death for those acting classes!) and replied. "Um, I was wondering if you might be able to show me around again after school today... I wanted to see the kind of clubs that Ouran has." She internally cringed, noting Tamaki practically inflating with each passing word that she said. Having finished, she wished she could cover her ears in meager retaliation against the verbal assault that Tamaki would inevitably deliver within the next few moments.

Maka could already tell that this was going to be a long afternoon. 'Just bear it, Maka,' she thought miserably, awaiting his bubbling reply.

"OF COURSE!"

* * *

Soul chuckled lightly on his way to the Host Club room. He could feel the annoyance of his meister (as was becoming the norm for week-day afternoons,) and it was actually quite amusing to him. Ignoring the wave of feminine sighs that erupted from his chuckle, he passed the line of waiting females, slipping into the club room with ease. His eyes trailed to the quadrumvirate which was presently smothering his meister in the center of the room. Catching her eye, what could only be described as a smirk of the eyes was sent her way, to which she returned with a look of pure fury.

"Ah, look, it's Soul-kun." Two voices blandly commented, garnering the attention of the tallest of the three blonds.

"My son!" Tamaki yelled, dropping Maka onto her feet. The meister reflexively landed on her feet, nearly falling into a crouch by muscle memory alone. Glancing around to see if anyone had saw, she sighed quietly, noticing that all attention was on Soul and Tamaki.

"Guess what?! Your sister has proposed something amazing!" The tall blond squealed excitedly. "Today after school, I will show the two of you all of our club rooms! Won't that be fun? Just imagine it, a family excursion—!"

But Soul wasn't listening. He was too stuck on a specific phrase of Tamaki's rant. _The two of you._ Resisting the urge to yell in frustration, Soul settled for growling out his anger (which Tamaki somehow failed to hear). Shoving his hands into his pockets, he opted to sit on his designated couch until club time started.

* * *

Two gargantuan doors slammed shut as the last whining female was herded out by the twins. With that booming sound, Soul could already feel the impending headache; sense the doom that was sure to come. This feeling of utter disparity was only accentuated when he felt the practically grinning soul of his meister. Not a second later, Tamaki let out a loud squeal to announce to his clubmates of his excursion with his 'beloved children.'

Latching onto Maka's arm like a leach, the blond was already halfway out the door before Kyoya stopped him. With a brief reminder about the Host Club excursion being the next day, the trio was off. The blond (the dumb one) made enough chatter for the three of them, and as Soul scowled, he swore that Make was actually enjoying having a repeat of the school tour. Or maybe just watching as Soul silently boiled in annoyance. Most likely the latter. Not that it mattered to Soul, as he was still, clearly, not enjoying the present situation.

Anyways.

Although Soul had been ignoring his impromptu tour guide for the past twenty minutes, he tuned in just in time to hear the blond let out a sad sigh. In more surprise that the blond even had the ability to be sad than concern for his wellbeing, Soul looked over.

I'm afraid that our tour has neared its finish, _mes amis*._ I have but one last club room to show you." Tamaki relayed with an obvious quiver in his voice. "I-it's quite disturbing, however, so I'd understand if you didn't want to see it," he tried to say in a large voice, puffing his chest out in an attempt to make himself appear bigger. Soul and Maka shared an amused glance.

After waiting a moment without getting any sort of negative response, Tamaki continued, grasping Maka's hand. "Kida-hime, I must warn you, as it wouldn't do for a beautiful maiden such as yourself to lose precious beauty sleep over something so unnecessary as visiting the B-b-b-black Magic Club." The teen finished in a whisper. Maka politely resisted the urge to snort, Soul making it that much harder for her as he guffawed loudly. The Host Club Prince pinked, stammering various denials, his blush deepening as Maka turned her face to laugh quietly.

Suddenly, a hooded figure appeared by Tamaki's side, causing him to emit a scream so loud, the oxygen in the teen's lungs quickly ran out, and he promptly fainted. This ordeal caused another bout of laughing among the group, the new arrival included. Once the laughter had died out, Maka turned to address the stranger, but he instead bowed shortly. "My name is Nekozawa Umehito, President of the Black Magic Club. Pleased to make your acquaintance," said the hooded figure. At this, the two glanced at each other worriedly, which did not go unnoticed by the club president. "Please, do not get the wrong idea! The Black Magic Club doesn't wish ill on innocents!" He said, waving his hands in front of himself.

Maka stared at the black-haired student, who had stopped his frantic waving and was now clasping his hands together. Needless to say, they'd have to check this club out—out of all the clubs, this one was undoubtedly the most suspicious. Furthermore, there was the problem of getting in. If this 'Black Magic Club' has something to hide, surely it'd be hard to get in. She looked up to question Nekozawa, but was once again interrupted. "The Host Club is the most popular club in the school, and it steals all of our potential club members. I implore that you at least take a look at our club activities! It is not as bad as it sounds!" Maka's eyebrows shot up at the teen's short speech, to which he yelled a quick 'Please!' in response.

Maka gave a smile and discreetly elbowed her partner, all while Nekozawa's head was bowed. After a quick 'oof!' (to which the hooded teen raised his head in confusion), Soul coughed. "Yeah, uh, that sounds cool." He conceded.

At this, Nekozawa's lips curled up in an unsettling smile as he raised his hands in a clap. "Yes! Oh, yes!" He yelled in unbridled excitement. He proceeded to pull two wooden, cat-shaped figurines from his robe, placing them in the hands of the two. "This is a Beelzenef curse doll," he explained, pulling out a similar-looking hand puppet. "If you write someone's name on the back, they will surely be cursed! A gift for joining our club." He finished, moving the mouth of the cat puppet—who they correctly assumed to be Beelzenef—in time with his words. "Now, let us go to the club room!" He said, turning around.

"Wait, what about—" Maka started, turning around to where Tamaki had been laying, only to find that the second-year was nowhere to be found. Turning back in confusion to where Nekozawa had already started walking, she followed hesitantly at the latter's explanation that 'Tamaki-senpai has already been taken care of.'

* * *

"Welcome to the Black Magic Club!" Nekozawa declared, ushering the two into the eerily darkened room. Lit by candlelight alone, the sweeping dark curtains and gothic-style furniture only added to the sinister mood. Sketchy as it was, Maka stepped into the room with minimal hesitation, scanning it immediately. "Why don't you take a seat? Our cushions are quite comfortable." Nekozawa suggested with a creepy smile, motioning towards the plush couches. Indeed, they did look comfy. Reluctantly, the two took their seats as suggested, although they sat on the edge nervously. Eyes darting around in silent observation (not fear!), Soul and Maka shifted on their seats, at sort of a loss in terms of what they should be doing.

"Allow me to introduce you to our members," Nekozawa said suddenly, his slippery smooth voice breaking the unsettling silence. "This is Kanazuki Reiko, my second-in-command. She specializes in tarot cards and emotion curses." He gestured to a pale female who seemed to have appeared spontaneously, but remained quite at home calmly sipping tea while wearing an extravagant gothic dress.

"These are the three Haruto brothers," Nekozawa continued, bringing the pair's attention to three darkly dressed students surrounding a table. "Rukai, Yakyou, and Kimata," he named in order. The three bowed, before huddling back around the wooden table, their activities unseen by anyone but themselves. Although only Soul and Maka seemed to be bothered by their actions.

"And I, myself, am Nekozawa Umehito, president of the Black Magic Club." Nekozawa reintroduced with a low bow. "I am extremely pleased to have you, and I hereby formally welcome you to the Black Magic Club!" He finished with a flourish.

"Um..." Maka started, unsure of how to proceed. How does one even react to such situations in the first place...? Giving a small cough, she tried again. "So, what exactly do we do as members of the club?"

At that moment, Nekozawa's face swelled up in a display of excitement, as he opened his mouth to speak, chest puffing up proudly. In the split moment before he uttered his first word, Maka found herself thinking that his actions were strangely reminiscent of those of Tamaki.

...Where exactly was Tamaki, anyway?

* * *

Soul all but kicked the door open, trudging through the living room with full intent on collapsing onto the couch. However, just before the plush material of the cushions came into view, the collar of his uniform was pulled back roughly, bringing him back with it (slightly). He vainly reached out in the direction of the couch, turning to his partner with an angered expression.

"What the hell?! I'm freaking _tired_ —"

"— _But_ a training session is long overdue, don'tcha think?" Maka replied without a beat. Rolling her eyes at Soul's scowl, she tossed her schoolbag on the couch and headed towards the backyard. Muttering under his breath in displeasure, Soul threw his stuff on the couch as well. 'I guess we haven't practiced in awhile,' he grudgingly admitted as he followed his meister through the back door.

Outside, Maka held out her hand expectantly. Without even having looking at her, Soul immediately transformed, flying into her palm. With an effortless twist of the wrist, Soul began to rotate, quickly picking up speed until he was nothing more than a circular red and silver blur, accompanied by the sound of metal piercing air. Switching hands every few seconds or so, Maka began to walk forward into the forest, widening Soul's reach into a wide arc around the front of her body, carving a neatly cut path into the woods, save for the fallen thicket that replaced it as she leisurely meandered past. She trampled over this as she went, continuing until she was quite a ways away from the open expanse of the backyard. From there, she paused—but only for a moment—Soul was on the exact same page.

" _Soul Resonance!_ "

The meister-weapon pair's voices melded into one as their wavelengths were transmitted between each other, swelling and amplifying with every pass. Soul glowed brightly, the surface of his blade becoming as colorful as stained glass, and growing several times its normal size. Rising from the position where her knees were locked in place, Maka began to run, slicing off a perimeter for their training space. Angling her body lower, stretching her legs longer, Maka ran, sweat beginning to form on her forehead. Finally, she prepared herself for the ending swing, pulling her arms back in the practiced position she knew would hold the most potential energy. Eyes narrowed in determination, she yelled at last.

" _Demon Hunter!_ "

Maka's arms flew forward, her entire body pivoting as per the force with which she swung. Once, twice, thrice she swung, each hit loaded with more concentrated power than the last. The after effects of her swipe didn't show until moments later. Just as she let out a slow exhale, she heard a loud crack, accompanied by a gust of wind, no doubt caused by the sudden felling of dozens upon dozens of trees. Using Soul as a brace to stand upright, Maka turned to face the destruction she had caused with a wide smile on her face, wiping her forehead of the few drops of sweat that had since accumulated. Soul reverted back just in time to gaze at the last bits of wood cracking and splintering as they fell to the ground, leaving behind a huge mess of woodchips, splinters, and an overall botanical massacre.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's—" Maka started, before quickly jumping out of the way to avoid a kick that would've had her in the gut. Glaring at her grinning partner, Maka's mild rage quickly dissipated, her own face donning a smirk as her competitive side kicked in. "Oh, you're going _down_."

Not a second after the statement was made, she lunged in Soul's direction, but he was ready for her. Jumping away to avoid him at the last moment, Maka had barely a second to twist her body midair, skidding across the ground harshly to land in a low crouch a couple of yards away. Digging her heels into the indented trail she had left in the dirt, Maka quickly engaged Soul in a close-range battle, before jumping back out to avoid a swipe that wouldn't've ended well for her.

Recovering quickly, Soul broke into a run, causing a cat-and-mouse chase which, comically, was broken only by Maka's slip. Unfortunate as it was for her, Soul used the opportunity to strike, landing a hit on her torso. The force of the hit caused her to fly backwards. Unable to prevent herself from slamming into the trees behind her, Maka noticed a flash of guilt in her partner's eyes just before she slammed into a particularly thick trunk. Coughing, she ignored the way Soul started to call her name before cutting himself off, pressing her feet against the damaged trunk and using the force produced to spring forward. Taking advantage of his brief moment of lowered guard, Maka elbowed him in the gut, before raising her leg to hit him in the head.

However, Soul rebounded quickly after the hit, grabbing her leg and using her momentum to practically toss her aside. Stumbling to a stop, Maka turned to see Soul advancing quickly. In a split second decision, she evaded his attack and reached over his shoulders, propelling herself to sail over his head. In the moment that he took to rotate to face her, he became slightly disoriented, giving her the time to drop to the ground and swipe her right leg under him, causing him to fall.

Soul cushioned his fall with his hands, but before he had time to stand, Maka had already advanced on him. Without giving him time to push her off, Maka quickly pulled his arms in a position that limited his movement, locking them in place with her knee, while she held her open palm by his neck, poised for an ending strike.

Maka met his eyes with a smirk to assert her victory, before she jumped back several yards away from Soul. "Again!" She demanded. Soul himself barely had enough time to pick himself up before Maka lunged at him once more with a competitive gaze.

"That sure as hell's not gonna happen twice in a row!" Soul yelled with a new glint in his eye as he grabbed her wrists and redirected her path. Midway, Maka kicked off the ground and maneuvered herself so that she kicked him in the back, all while her hands were held in place. Falling forward, Soul managed to prevent himself from falling, and instead skidded to a stop a few feet away from the scuffle.

There was a brief moment of silence when he met Maka's gaze, both of their chests heaving with intense effort, but this battle was far from finished. Before they knew it, that moment of rest was over, and, eyes gleaming with determination and unconscious grins plastered on their faces, the two lunged for each other.

* * *

Panting, Maka rooted her feet into the dirt below her, about to lunge again, when Soul raised a hand.

" _What?_ " Maka impatiently groaned, arms flopping to the side and knees straightening.

"I'm hungry." Soul deadpanned.

Numerous tick marks formed on Maka's head, but the logical side of her brain reasoned that it was about time to end, anyway. They had probably been training for almost two hours, since the sky was already orange, almost purple in some parts. Harrumphing, Maka wiped lifted up her bangs to wipe her forehead of the sweat that had accumulated there. She joined Soul at his side, and the two walked back to the villa, bantering back and forth.

"I'm going to take a shower," Maka said once she stepped inside, walking upstairs as she stretched. Soul grunted in response, grabbing the remote from the side table and collapsing onto the couch.

'I still have to double up today, since I skipped out of exercise this morning,' Maka thought as she turned the faucet for the overhead spray to cool. Stepping under the water, she sighed, loosening her scrunchies and scratching her scalp. Deciding not to linger too long (she'd take another shower before the end of the day, anyway), Maka turned off the water and draped a towel over her hair, wrapping another around her petite form.

When she returned downstairs in a tank top and a comfortable pair of shorts, Soul was fast asleep on the couch, snot bubble and all. Eyebrow twitching (his _grimy_ self didn't even take a shower!), Maka shook her head and ran a hand through her still-wet hair, which she had let down to dry. Walking into the kitchen, she sat down at the table, where her dinner was already set for her at one end, steaming hot, as if it had just been placed there. In all actuality, it probably _had_ been. Deciding not to question the promptness of the staff (even if it was a bit unnerving), Maka sat down to eat.

"Itadakimasu!*" She said, clapping her hands together and digging in.

* * *

" _Soul!_ Can we _not_ be late, for _once_?!" Maka griped, just about ready to leave without her partner. Shooting a glare in the direction of the kitchen, where he yelled back a muffled reply through a mouthful of food, Maka opened the door, and was met with the sight of a familiar uniform. Ouran's, in fact. And, if you really want to be specific about it, the visibly toned chest area of a male wearing the Ouran uniform.

Maka's eyes shot up in surprise.

"Hiya, Ha-chi!" Honey piped up from his perch up on the giant's shoulders, just as Maka craned her neck to look at the pair. Pinking both at her lack of attentiveness and at the possibility that the two may have heard her yelling, Maka waved feebly in response to the short senior's greeting. "Want to come to school with us?" Honey requested, flailing the arm that wasn't holding Usa-chan.

The bubble blond's excitement spread over to Maka in that a smile soon took over her face, and her shoulders relaxed. The two gave no indication of having heard her yell, much to Maka's relief. "Sure, that would be nice, thank you!" She replied with a smile. "Let me just go get Soul—you guys can make yourself at home on the couch for the time being, I'll only be a minute." She beckoned, closing the door behind them, before disappearing into the kitchen.

Honey turned to his companion with suddenly keen eyes. "That yell definitely came from Ha-chi, right?" An _mm_ of confirmation sounded from his cousin, causing the elder to furrow his brow briefly. The crease between his eyebrows disappeared with the sound of approaching footsteps, and Honey seemed to inflate as he smiled widely again. "Waah, today is already Friday, isn't it? I can't wait to go on the trip that Tama-chan and Kyo-chan are planning! Right, Takashi?"

"Mm."

"Sorry for the wait!" Maka said, reentering the living room with Soul in tow, the latter already with a scowl on his face.

"No problem!" Honey chirped. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Open the Host Club!" Tamaki bellowed, calling to a start the most eventful part of Maka's day. She watched the doors open from her spot at the twins' station, who had insisted that she sit with them that day. Moments later, the hosts dispersed, and the twins took their places. Sandwiching her, of course.

"Oh, Kaoru! Don't you think that it's absolutely wonderful that we have a new toy to play with?" Hikaru started, slowly running a finger under Maka's chin, to which she shivered.

"Of course I do, dear brother!" Kaoru replied, his tone dramatic and sad.

"Kaoru, why do you sound so sad?" Hikaru asked, moving his hands from Maka's chin to his twin's, and staring into his eyes in concern.

"Well, I don't _like_ it when you pay more attention to a new toy than to me..." Kaoru admitted with a blush, turning his face away from Hikaru's wandering hands.

The older twin gasped in response, circling his brother and clutching his hands in his own. "Oh, Kaoru, I'm so sorry! You know that I'd _never_ love a _toy_ more than you!"

'Gee, thanks.' Maka glumly thought, even embarrassed as she was by the shameless display of affection between the two.

"I promise to pay the most attention to only you!" Hikaru declared, capturing his brother in a hug.

"D-do you really mean that, Hikaru?" Kaoru bashfully questioned, with his head lowered.

"Of course I do!" Hikaru cried, literal tears forming to help plead his case. He tightened his arms around his twin. "Oh, Kaoru! I love you more than anyone else in the world!"

Kaoru buried his face in his brother's chest, blushing hard. "H-Hikaru, you're embarrassing me...!"

"But I love the face you make when you're embarrassed," Hikaru said, smirking. He released Kaoru, using a hand to raise his chin up and stare into the golden eyes that were so familiar to him. Still holding his chin in place, Hikaru began to lean in ever so slowly, his eyes darkening.

" _KYAAAA~!_ "

Maka's hands flew to her ears as her eyes widened in shock (fear?). She was most definitely not prepared for that chorus of squeals, although, in hindsight, she figured that she should've been. Shaking her head, she realized that the twins had since pulled back and were smirking at the 'damage' they had caused: surrounding them, carpeting the floor and couches was a layer of—you guessed it—girls. Most dazed, many unconscious, and quite a few with rampaging nosebleeds.

Even Maka, chauvinist (to a certain extent) as she was, still sported a blush as a result of the twins' peculiar actions. She had never seen anything remotely close to the strange display at the DWMA! She coughed in an effort to regain her composure, unfortunately bringing the twins' sights back on her.

"Ah, Kida-hime seems to still be awake, right Kaoru?"

"Yes, but it doesn't seem as if she was left unaffected, dearest Hikaru."

"Right you are, dear brother! Is that a blush I see?"

"It most definitely is, dear brother. This surely means that we must—"

"— _Investigate._ "

Maka shivered at the way the two finished in sync, a leer on their identical faces. Almost in a slithering motion, the twins advanced towards Maka. They were quick to sandwich her in. The meister internally lamented at her mission, perhaps more than she ever had, on any mission she'd ever taken. She'd never blushed so hard—and so much—in her life!

How humiliating.

* * *

"Maka-chan and Soul-kun have already been here for a while, but they haven't been paying any attention to Bu-tan at all! How rude!" A busty woman with catlike features whined, tapping away at a laptop. This would surely make them be more mindful of her next time! The cat-woman hummed cheerfully as she transferred one last item to her cart. With some difficulty, of course (she didn't use technology much), but Bu-tan tried hard!

She sighed in triumph, reverting back to her feline form. Now that her part was finished, she would just have to be patient.

...Patient.

The cat mewled in agony, dreading the thought of having to lie in wait. As she rolled around on the floor in mock pain, an old butler came in and interrupted her.

"Blair-sama, your package has arrived."

The cat shot up in surprise. Well, that was fast.

...Excellent.

* * *

"BLAIR!"

* * *

 ***Mes amis: 'My friends,' in French. 'Mes amies' is the feminine form of this phrase—Tamaki'd have to be addressing a group of females only if he wanted to use this form. Even if there were a hundred girls and just one boy in a room, one would still have to use the masculine form. That's just how it works.  
*Itadakimasu: A standard Japanese phrase that one says before eating. Something akin to 'Thanks for the food,' although it literally translates to 'I humbly receive.'  
**

 **A/N: Well... Hi. .-. Before I fall into a dogeza and start apologizing for my long period of absence, let me just say that I'm not going to make excuses for it. It was unacceptable, I know. Will it happen again? Probably. No, definitely. Will I be better at managing it? Well, for this work, no. For future ones, yes. I've actually started some other projects that have been floating around in my mind for awhile, but I promise not to start posting until it's safe. And by safe, I mean, at least halfway through. That's when I usually hit writer's block, so if I cross that hill and then post, it'll be mostly smooth sailing. Unless there's some disaster and I can't access the Internet or something. But, I digress. My point is, life.**

 **Now, onto the groveling.**

 ***drops into dogeza* I'M SO SORRY. I HATE IT WHEN AUTHORS DO THIS TO ME, BUT I'VE DONE IT TO YOU GUYS. HOW DISRESPECTFUL. I WANT TO BEG FOR FORGIVENESS, BUT I KNOW I'LL PROBABLY END UP DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR DURING THE COURSE OF THIS STORY. I'M SO SORRY. ;-;**

 ***cough***

 **Um, so, I was specifically asked to include a training scene in this chapter (by** **TenableCape9819)** **, so I just dropped that in (it was hard to write...!). So, you guys can put in suggestions and stuff, as well! Feel free to ask for anything (except M-rated things :x), and I'll try to add it in, given that it doesn't drastically affect the plot.**

 **Speaking of the plot, I just wanna let you guys know that the voting period of which host will end up with is nearly over! She's already visited Haruhi, Honey and Mori, and Hikaru and Kaoru. You can vote each chapter. Personally, I'm rooting for Kyoya *o* But, it's not my choice, it's all yours'. Also, things will be moving along more next chapter. Yeah, this chapter was actually pretty bad, in my opinion. Sorry for this no-plot trash. Anyways, the witches will make an appearance again, as well as Blair, who someone pointed out that I had been neglecting (I'm sorry, Bu-tan!). Finally, if I can fit it, the Host Club field trip will commence!**

 **I'd like to know what you guys think will happen next! ;3**

 **P.S. The poll on my profile is still open, and you can still vote each chapterrr!**

 **Whaelp, bai!**

Posted: August 24, 2016  
Updated: August 24, 2016

 _~Reginna Grace_


	17. And so it Commences!

**A/N: Hi...**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **WritingSoul: Eventually... All in due time... ;3  
felcatty: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Detailed comments like this are what make me happiest... Sorry for everything!  
Katie: I've been trying to decide whether or not to allow people to find out for a while. While I ponder that, some are starting to notice _things_ about Maka and Soul. I hope that's enough for now!  
whoaaAAA: Thank you so much! Unfortunately, keeping up with everything is hard, but here's a new chappy!  
TwinDragons0268: Thank you!  
HufflepuffKat: Thanks for the correction!  
Angel: Thank you! Even if updates are slow (*cough*), I'm not giving up! Thanks for the vote! :D  
Guest: Thank you :D  
Mistress . Empanada: *bows* Thank you for reading it! I'm #blessed for having amazing people like you like my randomness. :P**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!**

 **Alex the Stargazer  
Anime-Geek-Girl-32  
Anna53267  
Ashviqua Kadar  
Awesomeness3013  
CinnamonRoll05  
CoffeePeanuts  
DovepawLikesDoritos  
Entity Rose  
Ever-Lethargic  
Girl on the Computer  
Legendary Eeveelutions  
Lucky zetta  
Luna8989  
LunaSawada27  
Magicanna23  
Maka Ikari  
Mirremeee  
Mistress . Empanada  
Photogirl5520113  
Portieres  
PuffedGill - THANKS FOR THE FANART!  
R . ST . JEAN  
RM's-Dark . Soul  
Rei Kiele  
Ren Woods  
Ria1705  
SavannahJade1208  
Savy54  
Sayonara Yasashii Akumu  
The girl who envies books  
Turtles18  
TusaderTheSecretary  
TwinDragons0268  
VanillaWhatever  
Wolvesica  
Yuandra Luna  
ally . todaro  
animegamer1400  
chocolatechipwiz  
jordenvegas  
kookiepup12 - you followed on my birthday! ;p  
meggie eggie meg  
nbyk**

 **AND THE FAVORITES!**

 **Alex the Stargazer  
** **Anime-Geek-Girl-32  
** **Anna53267  
** **Ashviqua Kadar  
** **Awesomeness3013  
CinnamonRoll05  
CoffeePeanuts  
Djjulia01  
DovepawLikesDoritos  
Entity Rose  
Ever-Lethargic  
Girl on the Computer  
Legendary Eeveelutions  
Lucky zetta  
Luna8989  
LunaSawada27  
Magicanna23  
Maka Ikari  
Mirremeee  
Mistress . Empanada  
Photogirl5520113  
Portieres  
PuffedGill - THANKS FOR THE FANART!  
R . ST . JEAN  
RM's-Dark . Soul  
Rei Kiele  
Ren Woods  
Ria1705  
SavannahJade1208  
Savy54  
Sayonara Yasashii Akumu  
The girl who envies books  
Turtles18  
TusaderTheSecretary  
TwinDragons0268  
VanillaWhatever  
Wolvesica  
Yuandra Luna  
ally . todaro  
animegamer1400  
chocolatechipwiz  
jordenvegas  
kookiepup12 - you followed on my birthday! ;p  
meggie eggie meg  
nbyk** ****

 **HUGE shoutout to PuffedGill, who drew some delicious fanart for this story! The link's down below for anyone who's interested. THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 **Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 17: And so it Commences!**

A hurried clap signaled not only the end of all Hosting activities but also Tamaki's bubbling excitement (not that that was anything unusual). Including him, both the elder Haninozuka and the twins were also excited, the remaining Hosts' sober moods doing little to deter their happiness.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Tamaki started, standing directly in front of the couches where the rest of the Hosts lounged. "As I have made clear during the course of the week, today is the day when we finally embark on our extravagant adventure! I have decided that it is only appropriate that, for us to properly maintain our good looks by minimizing stress, we must go to a resort! Therefore, I have selected the Ootori Group's Tropical Aqua Garden for us to vacation for the weekend!" He declared.

Maka discretely repressed a sigh, just as her partner beside her released an enormous one. Rather than chiding him, she simply shook her head, internally sympathizing with him.

"Why does it feel like taking a vacation with them will be more stressful than relaxing?" He lamented, resting an elbow atop of his meister's head in pre-ordalian stress.

A nearby brunette, overhearing the conversation, turned to face the two with an expression akin to pity adorning her features. "That's because it will be," Haruhi huffed warily, mindful of the proximity of the rest of the hosts, Kyoya in particular.

"Dear Death," Soul muttered.

"Dear Death," Haruhi repeated. "A bit morbid, but all too fitting at the moment." She shook her head before walking away in the direction of the twins, who were beckoning her. Maka deftly elbowed Soul before making for her friend.

Crioioioioioio

"Aaaand voilà! A private jet for us to enjoy!" Tamaki exclaimed excitedly.

"Tono, calm down."

"Yeah, it's just a jet." The twins deadpanned, moving to one of the large first-class compartments.

"Shhhhh!" The offended blond hissed, gripping the twins' shoulders with a look on his face that all but accused them of having done something unholy. "I was trying to preserve the dignity of our resident commoner, you insensitive devil twins!" The two adopted mirror images of horror at their actions, turning to Haruhi with much apprehension.

"H-Haruhi..."

"...You aren't mad at us, right...?"

At the brunette's lack of a response, Tamaki gave a pitying path to each of the twins' shoulders before striding ahead of them. "My beautiful daaaaughter, won't you-"

"-Is it okay if I room with you guys for the flight?" Haruhi's question was posed at the two martial artist cousins, who accepted her wholeheartedly. Tamaki wilted, twins laughing heartily at his misfortune, before springing up again.

"Oh, Kida-himeeeee! Surely, you'll allow your dear father to-"

Maka quickly shut the compartment where she and Soul were staying before the blond could reach her, feigning having not heard the approaching teen.

Tamaki whirled around in shock and hurt, hearing the same sound echo twice as the cousins (plus Haruhi) and the twins shut their respective doors also. Tamaki's body then appeared to take a paper-thin form, as if to embody his mood. His feet seemed to hover over the ground as he ghosted over the silken carpet to the only door remaining. "Everyone's left me, Mommy..." He wailed, throwing himself at his best friend without warning.

The then studying teen's brow twitched in irritation but, biting back the caustic comment rising on his tongue, he stiffly sat, foregoing his typical restricting glare. Tamaki, of course, noticed and, to Kyoya's dismay, swelled up like an inflated balloon.

"Oh, mon ami!"

Crioriolalala

"Welcome to the Ootori Group's Tropical Aqua Garden! We'll only be staying here for the rest of the weekend, so bookworms, at ease." Though Tamaki addressed Haruhi only, Soul snickered as his meister's shoulders became less tense also. "You can rest assured that the staff here will transfer our belongings to our respective rooms, so for now, it's time to relax!" Tamaki declared, the twins behind him pushing him aside in their rush to exit the jet.

"Hmm, I guess a break like this every once in a while isn't so bad..." Maka commented, giving a little smile of appreciation as Haruhi lamented about the chores and homework she had planned on doing that day. Maka listened in amusement as her friend ranted before her senses tuned in to two souls creeping up on her and Haruhi. The blonde stifled a sigh, pulling a surprised expression on her face when she was grabbed by one of the twins, and Haruhi the other.

The brothers pushed the two into the grasps of two awaiting maids who, at the command of "do whatever you need to do," scurried off to a dressing room. Their grips were needlessly tight as if the pair expected their captures to attempt escape, but before she knew it, Maka found herself released in front of an impressive array of swimwear. Gawking at a particularly scandalous piece of clothing (nothing more than some strings!), she recoiled when she noticed the matching leers of the maids who were tasked with dressing them. She and Haruhi shared a dubious glance before watching with bated breath as the two advanced on them, fingers wriggling in a way that made the girls shudder uncomfortably.

Meanwhile, Soul awkwardly stood next to the ground where his meister had just been, the first syllable of Maka's name dying in his throat. When he looked around, no one seemed to be perturbed by the two girls' disappearance, so he simply crossed his arms as he prepared to wait. He didn't have to wait long. A few moments later, his vision was bombarded by a flurry of colors, the two girls being deposited just in front of him.

The Hosts fell into silence in order to observe the two that were placed in their midst. Haruhi looked more dazed than anything, clad in a cute pink and white one-piece with white buttons and a red trim. A matching cap was on top of her head. As for Maka, she wore a blue, green, and white plaid two-piece with ruffles around the whole number, leaving her midriff bare and placing delicate curves where they needed to be emphasized. Her green eyes were wide with excitement, giving her a youthful innocence that would put most five-year-olds to shame.

"MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTERSSSS!" Tamaki shrilled, throwing his hands down his throat in agony as if to reach down and physically soothe his palpitating heart with his own two hands. As one would expect, he merely choked on the masses obstructing his airway. He quickly reconsidered, instead choosing to hover over the two, still somewhat in shock. He produced a pair of more modest garments from some unknown abysmal cavity from within his jacket and threw them over the two, glaring harshly at the twins, who pouted in response.

While Haruhi fitted the sweater and shorts over her clothes without pause, muttering about how pointless fussing over bathing suits was, Maka looked at the clothes distastefully, thinking the reaction too similar to something her real father would do to be comfortable with it. The disgusted expression on her face was lost to all but Soul and Tamaki, the latter of which crumpled to the ground in despair.

Maka took the opportunity to walk over to Soul, where she began to chat. Her brunette friend ambled over to the cousins, where she opted to do the same.

"Well, Tono, how does it feel to have one of your precious daughters rebelling on you?" Hikaru purred, enjoying the devastated expression on the blond's face.

"Teenage girls sure grow up fast, don't they?" Kaoru sneakily added, only causing Tamaki's face to further contort in horror. In fact, at the twins' goading, Tamaki's already pale face showcased its ability to quickly change color, fluctuating between shades of red, green, and an unhealthy-looking gray tint. The two watched his rising hysteria for a few moments (with much amusement) before the blond shouted explosively to express his displeasure.

"DADDY WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" He shrieked, garnering the attention of the rest of the Hosts. He began stalking towards Maka when he suddenly slipped on a random banana peel. "Wha-?" He cried out in confusion on his descent. Unfortunately, the blond never got to finish his statement, as he proceeded to skid-on his face-across the surface of the pool deck.

"He's going to crash!" The twins reported as they observed his path towards an artistically placed tiki totem. Upon realizing that a prominent and very important-looking lever was on said totem, the two quickly stopped clapping and instead watched in apprehension as the blond approached, deciding that encouraging him to veer left when he was skating on his face wouldn't help him in the slightest. Moments later, Tamaki slammed into the large wooden structure before coming to a violent stop a few feet away.

"Tono!"

"Are you okay?" The twins were the first to speak, despite having set the very banana that caused such misfortune. Acutely aware of the lack of sound in response to the switch being triggered, Maka had merely a moment before a sudden, out-of-place tidal wave crashed into the group. Utterly unprepared for the blast of liquid, Maka had little defense against it and her slight frame was carried away within moments.

Without anything to grab onto, the teen closed her eyes and held her breath, hoping that it would be enough. Maka had confidence that she could hold her breath for extended periods of time, but when an unseen object collided with her abdomen, all the oxygen left her in a rush. By reflex, she inhaled, causing water to flood into her body in an instant. She quickly expelled it, but the damage was already done. It was only a few moments later when Maka lost consciousness.

After being sure that the tidal wave had died down, the twins stopped holding onto each other for dear life. Disentangling themselves slowly, the two peered at their surroundings.

"Where-?"

"It appears that we have been separated by the wave," a voice answered. The two whipped around to see Kyoya, mysteriously dry despite all logical reason. Deciding that there was no point in attempting to validate the laws of physics in the face of the Shadow King, Hikaru and Kaoru decided to follow the retreating back of their fellow club mate.

After several moments of awkward silence, the trio happened upon Tamaki, who had been lamenting on the world's unfortunate loss of such an innately beautiful soul up until their arrival. Upon seeing them, he made a beeline for his best friend, before being stopped by his glare. Having no corner to run to, the blond instead pouted deeply as the situation was explained to him.

Within moments, the small quartet mobilized into a search-and-rescue team for the rest of the Hosts. Seeing something move in the foliage nearby, Tamaki advanced in order to investigate and nearly lost his hand to the quick snapping closed of a scaly, toothy jaw. Screaming bloody murder all the while, the blond jumped back several feet, alerting the rest of the group to a problem.

"What's up, Tono?" Hikaru paused mid-call. His brother also turned in confusion after calling out Mori's name once more.

"C-c-c-c-c... Crocodile!" He whimpered, clinging onto the bark of a palm tree.

Golden eyes widening exponentially, the twins followed suit, clambering up a neighboring tropical trunk. "K-kyoya-senpai, why is it here?!" Kaoru chattered, Hikaru nodding emphatically.

"Ah, those," he started, bringing to attention two other large reptiles. "They are from our Crocodile Exhibit. They must have been displaced when the wave hit. You must watch out for those." He nodded, walking past the first croc as if it were a fluffy bunny and not a highly dangerous reptile that could end his life slowly and painfully.

Glancing at each other fearfully, the remaining Hosts gulped before sprinting after the raven-haired teen, wild snapping at their heels.

Moments later found them reunited with both Haruhi and Mori, the former appearing to be extremely distressed.

"He's inconsola-"

"I'm fine," Mori interjected, causing the twins and Tamaki to turn to Haruhi in confusion.

"I dunno, Mori-senpai looks fine to me, Haruhi." Hikaru pointed out.

"I am fine," Mori repeated.

"...If not a little talkative, he seems perfectly okay." Kaoru added, observing the tall senior.

No sooner had that statement been made had a crash echoed throughout the foresty area that the Hosts found themselves in.

"See!" Haruhi pointed to the bush where Mori had fallen, the remaining Hosts whipping their heads around in shock. The student was comically stony-faced in spite of his position planted sideways in the middle of a thorny bush. Completely unperturbed, he picked himself up and took a few steps, twigs and leaves adorning his clothes and hair, before falling down immediately afterward, squashing the rising argument in Tamaki's throat.

He redirected his attention towards Haruhi. "But why...?" Cutting himself off at Haruhi's scalding look, he challenged himself with the task of thinking, deciding within moments that something was missing from the picture. A few moments more, he came up with his final answer. "Oh! Hon-!" The twins' hands quickly sandwiched on top of his mouth in order to intercept Tamaki's incoming words. Mori didn't even notice.

"Shh, Tono!" Kaoru all but tutted. "He's clearly traumatized."

"Yeah, we need to come up with a plan to find Honey-senpai, and fast!" Hikaru supplemented in a whisper.

"All right! Men-and Haruhi-Let's do this!" Tamaki's exclamation was quickly drowned out by urgent shushing.

Page Break?

"So, does everyone understand the plan?" Tamaki whispered after several minutes. The twins nodded along.

" _Idiots!_ " Haruhi all but hissed, having long since gone silent due to the group's waving off of her comments. "Mori-senpai's already gone!" She pointed out. Ignoring the trio's gobsmacked looks, she huffed and continued. "I can't even _begin_ to fathom just how you missed all the noise he made, crashing with practically every step he took! I can't even _hear_ him anymore!"

Sure enough, the surrounding area had gone mostly silent, but for the ambiance that the wildlife created.

"Wha- on to plan B, men!" Tamaki quailed.

"We have no plan B, Tono!" The twins answered.

"Then we have no choice..." He met the twins' eyes carefully. "...But to make one _right now_ , come hither!" He blurted. The blond then urgently gestured to the twins and the three proceeded to huddle up, clamorous whispering erupting from the small group within moments.

Haruhi groaned.

Hiiiiiiiiiiii

Walking urgently along a muddy path that the tidal wave had carved out, Soul's anger was palpable, and he was glad that nobody was around to see it. That was one thing, at least, in his favor. It barely mattered, however, as the most pressing matter to him was finding Maka.

When the wave first hit, he had sent out little pulses of his wavelength in a series of soul 'pings,' but had since stopped, taking his meister's unresponsiveness for unconsciousness. And now, he was on the hunt to find her. Unfortunately, this proved to be easier said than done-the fact that she had lost consciousness caused her soul to be thrown into a dormant state as if she were in a coma. Although even in such a state, her soul reflected his pings to some extent (a testament to their bond), they were not modified by the control that concentration, lucidity, and _years_ of training brought, and they ricocheted in all directions, dissipating quickly. Needless to say, this proved to be a problem, eliminating the trail Soul would've otherwise had to follow. If it had been the other way around, Maka would experience no such problems as per her extraordinary Soul Perception abilities.

Soul growled in lamentation, violently kicking away a protruding log that had become loose during the wave. What a _pain_ those Hosts were. This _mission_ was, and Lord Death, for giving it to them. _Maka_ was, for being unconscious! 'Death...' He lamented.

Stomping over to the next bunch of leafy obstacles, Soul had to restrain himself so as to not transform his leg and just cut his way through. He would see no end of it from Maka, he knew, and a barrage of Maka-chops was not exactly on his wish list, so he instead took it out of his surroundings. Loudly.

After having kicked around quite a bit, Soul paused to try, vainly, as before, to pinpoint his meister. It was during this period of quiet that he heard hushed sniffling.

Soul grimaced, having a good idea of who it was. Several steps towards the sound and he received visual confirmation of the short blond. If Honey noticed him, and he was almost _sure_ he did, he did not make any indication.

Stepping closer to the prone figure, it was clear that he was in pain, with a swelled up ankle propped up on top of a very waterlogged Usa-chan. He rubbed his red eyes furiously, looking up for the first time at Soul.

"So-chan," he sniffed, "Can you-" he broke off his sentence, erupting into sobs. "T-Takashi-" he tried again, sniveling through the name.

The frown on Soul's face was heavyset as he gazed upon the short senior. He turned his back to Honey.

"Get on," he grunted, in some strange mix of anger and subtle mortification, as he crouched down in front of the blond. After a moment's pause, Soul felt the boy's weight as he clambered onto his back before standing up.

"Where are we going?" Honey hesitantly asked, still sniffling a bit.

"To find your cousin," he said, with a dip in tone indicating the end of the conversation.

Soul's cringe when the boy snuggled into his back was half-hearted, at best.

:D:

The first thing Maka noticed upon opening her eyes was the lack of diversity in color - everything was green - the second, the mouthful of dirt she had gathered during her fitful trip. It was a good thing she was in a waterpark; she didn't have to look far for clean water with which she could clean her mouth.

Once she had gotten rid of the earthy grit and most of the taste, Maka craned her neck to look at the sky. It wasn't late enough that the sky began to paint its hues yet, but the sun had passed its peak and the edges of the horizon were darkening ever so slightly.

'Humph. Leave it to Soul to let me rescue myself!' She huffed. 'And to make matters worse...' She noticed a lone Host advancing towards her, likely attracted by her noisy trampling about. Deciding that there was not much she could do but wait for him - Mori-senpai - to arrive, she simply donned her best look of despair as she waited for the senior to walk the quarter-mile distance to meet her.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck intended on making it quite clear that she was most definitely _not_ on Maka's side. A loud squeal alerted her to the fact that she was not alone, a large boar barreling out of the shrubbery moments later. Plenty angry, Maka stuck out a limb and kicked it with her heeled foot - or, she had aimed to do so, at least. As she stuck out her shoe, the animal jutted its maw upwards before snapping its neck sideways, thusly tipping the undeniably light girl over.

Cursing outwardly at her miscalculation (she had had yet to come into contact with such animals until now), Maka made sure to send the beast back to its maker with the next one. As it retreated back to the bushes, squealing in fear all the while, the girl stepped forward with a stumble. The damn pig had made her twist her ankle! Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Maka had barely enough time to fall to the ground in false woundedness before Mori appeared through the bushes.

Maka's back was towards him, so she took the extra time to summon tears to her eyes before turning to face him with a sniffle. "Mori-senpai..."

The man's eyes widened significantly, and he strode over to her quickly to survey the damage.

"There was some sort of boar," she groused, gesturing to her ankle, which had started to swell.

The man turned around and barely had to gesture before Maka climbed on his back entirely out of habit. She realized her actions a moment later, but if the giant did as well, he didn't make any indication, merely standing up silently and beginning to walk. Mori didn't seem bothered by her actions, so Maka laid her cheek on his back with a _to Hell with it!_ attitude. She was out like a light moments later.

TWOHOURWRITINGSPREEREADYSETGO

"All right, men, are you ready?"

"Yeah!" Two voices echoed.

"All right - Plan B is a-go!" Tamaki blabbed, eliciting salutes from the twins, a punctuated facepalm from Haruhi, and nothing from Kyoya. "We can do this!" He bellowed, pumping his fist in the air. Hikaru and Kaoru parroted his motivational gestures avidly. A few more minutes were wasted in this fashion before they actually decided to go anywhere. Just as the blond turned on his heel with his two-piece crew ready to follow, Soul emerged from the bushes, a snoozing senior perched on his back. Tamaki paled, followed by the twins, followed by Haruhi, followed by Kyoya pushing up his glasses.

The self-appointed leader froze mid-step, but the twins behind him weren't prepared for the gesture and fell over, leaving the three a squirming, groaning, hushing mess on top of some very noisy foliage. Their frantic efforts to quiet each other ended up being counterproductive, and it wasn't long before they felt the soul-crushing aura of the once-sleeping Host. How Soul got away unscathed seemed to be the true mystery, but none of the recipients of Honey's frigid glare were able to ponder it. They merely cuddled against each other in a feeble effort to combat the snowy winds, ultimately freezing solid into Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki statues.

The bodies fell to the floor with a clang.

By the time the sound had reached the ears of the (warm-blooded) bystanders, the Lolita host was fast asleep once again. Haruhi sighed in relief.

"Finally out for the count, huh? Really, those idiots! If both parties are moving, the likelihood of us finding each other are slim. We're better off waiting here and hoping for the best," she sighed, meeting eyes with the two other conscious people in the group. Kyoya pushed his glasses up (presumably in agreement), and Soul nodded to show his.

Haruhi settled on the ground, while the others remained standing for reasons she did not care to know. Leaning against a tree, her eyes were just beginning to droop when she heard some distant rustling. Her eyes shot up towards it, darting briefly to Soul (who had long since tuned in to the noise) and Kyoya (whose eyes were hidden by his ever-glinting glasses as he wrote endlessly in his notebook).

Moments later, the looming figure of Mori made it through the bushes. Haruhi was surprised to see Maka on his back, asleep as Honey-senpai often was, and it was clear that she wasn't the only one. Soul's red eyes widened at the scene, an act reciprocated by the gentle giant upon noticing his own cousin on Soul's back.

The two men stared at each other from across the clearing, gazes clashing in warning. The threat in each's eyes was clear: _if they're hurt, I'll kill you._ Soul's attention, however, was quickly stolen away when Maka suddenly roused from her sleep, groggy greens meeting Soul's eyes immediately. He completely shifted his focus to his meister.

Noticing his unease, she gave a sleepy smile and a one-handed thumbs up to assure her partner that she was okay. Soul received this unenthusiastically, lips tightening unhappily but relieved. Almost by some peculiar twist of fate, the sleeping senior of his back woke up at that moment as well. Announcing this with a huge yawn, Honey cried out his cousin's name in happiness as soon as his eyes slid over in that direction. Either not noticing or ignoring the current atmosphere, he instantly began to chatter excitedly to his cousin, and once it was clear that he was unharmed, the muscles in Mori's back hesitantly uncoiled.

Once again, the two men met eyes, but with much less animosity, both returning to their preferred stoic states.

With a mental harrumph, Soul turned his head, grudgingly acknowledging the sliver of trust he now had in the man.

FORMATTINGPLZ

"It's actually sort of weird to not be sleeping in the same room on a mission, huh?" Maka commented during a rare moment away from the noisy club. They were currently occupied by Haruhi, who had suggested they relax in an onsen before bed. As one would expect, the resulting chatter was quite lively, to say the least.

"I guess," came her partner's noncommittal reply. Rolling her eyes, Maka waved her partner good night, making sure to mimic his enthusiasm, before heading off to the showers.

MUGUMUGUMUGUMUGU

Fingers running through her hair to untangle a few nicks as she dried it, Maka was glad to be left alone to her thoughts after such a long day. _It seems like there's more to this Host Club than meets the eye,_ she had observed. Over the course of her time here, she had noticed that every member acted as if they were suspended in time, as if their lives would never be able to change from these moments. It was foolish to believe that one's relationships wouldn't change after high school. After all, spending so much time together without high school forcing them to do so would be nearly impossible once the club began to filter out to go to college, especially staggered by grade as they were. It didn't take a genius to figure all this out, so why did the Hosts seem so oblivious to the facts? Even the sensible Haruhi, with all her dreams to be a lawyer, never spoke at length about her plans for the future beyond being like her mother. The lot of them acted like their time would never end.

Having brushes with Death on multiple occasions meant that Maka was painfully aware of how much life could change at any given moment, but were normal civilians _really_ this oblivious? She couldn't believe that. She really couldn't. _If anything, they should be sad about how their time is going to end soon, not avoiding it completely._ Maka had just finished drying and began putting her hair up in two buns when she happened upon another train of thought.

 _Fear._

Of course. Maka knew better than most how much of a driving factor fear could be, having experienced first-hand how both Asura and the Black Blood took advantage of the dangerous emotion. If some sort of deep-rooted fear was the limiting factor for all the Hosts, then their behavior made sense.

They clung to each other, to the club, for dear life, hoping that their time would never run out, even if some subconscious part of them realized that it would. The realization was blinding. She fell onto the bed as she paused, eyes dragging across the textured ceiling and heavy, expensive drapings as she did so. The artwork, a three-dimensional representation of the Manifest Destiny, was carved into the ceiling. It was a masterpiece. But the edges where the ceiling met the walls were cluttered by the curling golden designs that crept upwards towards the center of the room. _A mistake on the part of the architect,_ she scowled, unable to fully appreciate the piece, and instead going back to her theory.

Why were the Hosts the way that they were? The group was a hodge-podge of different personalities, traits, and backgrounds, so why did they all react in the same way? _What kind of trauma could've..._ Maka stopped, the answer right in front of her eyes. Money. Privilege, more accurately. Even Haruhi, considering her lifestyle, was much higher on the socioeconomic spectrum than some unlucky kids.

Having a place to live. Food to eat. Clothes to wear. Being handed things on a silver platter. Those things were constant. It buttered them up, making them resistant to change. And when things changed, this was how they reacted.

Death. Separation. Growing up. No matter how you cut the cake, it all comes back to change.

Maka's hardened as she heard the door opening, the refreshed face of Haruhi poking through immediately after.

 _I have to help them._

"Oh, Kida-san, what are you still doing up?" Haruhi questioned, rubbing her hair with a white towel as she stepped into the room.

 _I have to help them._

"Kida-san?"

 _I have to help them._

"Oh, Fujioka-san! I'm sorry, don't mind me, I was just lost in my thoughts." Maka answered, sitting up.

"That's fine, but if you spend all night lost in your thoughts, you'll wake up a zombie, and, funnily enough, it'll be the Hosts who'll eat you alive tomorrow," the girl chortled. "Oh, but you'll probably be fine, so long as Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are there, since they'll keep the others away from you because of your injury. Speaking of, how's your ankle?"

"Kyoya-senpai said that it would be fine, so long as I don't aggravate it by walking too much and putting too much pressure on it." Maka gave a reassuring smile. "Hey, Fujioka-san, would you like to go out with me after this?"

"Huh?" Haruhi turned around to face Maka, who smiled insistently.

"Let's have a girl's day out!" She clarified.

"My bad, I didn't hear you the first time. Sure," Haruhi replied. "Now go to bed!"

"Haaai."

 _I'm going to help you, Haruhi._

 **A/N: So... Hi.**

 **As you can obviously tell, I've taken a long break from this story. School has been hectic (as it always is), but it's summer now. A few weeks into summer, actually. I'll admit, I had absolutely no idea where I was going with this story. But I decided to rewatch both animes in hopes of catching new inspiration, and am happy to say that I've found it. Unfortunately, there are many little clues I need to work on dropping in order to build up the theme I've decided upon. Needless to say, it'll take time. However, I'm filled with the fire of a moe-hyped Renge and am ready to spend the entire night editing what I have so far. The reason why this chapter is so short, as a matter of fact, is because I've decided to devote my time to editing. I've laid out a rough outline of where I want this story to go, so hopefully, I won't be wasting huge amounts of time anymore. I'd appreciate suggestions, though!**

 **For those of you who haven't given up on me yet, thank you so much. I love you guys.**

 **I'm dedicating this chapter to PuffedGill. Thanks for the beautiful fanart! It's the first I've ever received, and I'm** _ **eternally**_ **grateful. I absolutely love Maka's expression in the last one - it's exactly what I imagined it would be! I'm amazed that anyone would spend their time drawing anything for me, so thank you SO, SO, SO much! 3**

 **Here's a link to anyone who's interested: puffedgill . tumblr post/ 159295169746 /surveillance-an-ohshc-and-soul-eater-crossover**

 **Unfortunately, from here on out, there will be sort of a mediocre transition into the next part of the story (the action-y bit), since it came to me out of nowhere. I'll be working all week on it, so I hope that I can bring some substantial stuff to you guys. It's pretty close to completion and will be up sometime this week. Again, thanks for not giving up on me! :)**

 **Don't forget to vote for the Hosts, blah blah blah, you know the deal.**

Posted: August 13, 2017  
Updated: August 13, 2017

 _~Reginna Grace_


	18. Girls' Day Out!

**A/N: *rasps* Haaaaaai.**

 **SHOUT OUT TO:**

 **HufflepuffKat: Thanks! Only time will tell... I still haven't decided yet!**

 **THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!**

 **Potato9234  
Project6stuff  
WordSmyth  
**

 **AND THE FAVORITES!**

 **Noiruna  
Project6stuff  
WordSmyth  
**

 **Without further ado, let's begin!**

 **Chapter 18: Girls' Day Out!**

Haruhi looked down at her phone at the last text she had gotten from Kida. 'Great! I'll see you at 2:00!' She looked at her watch. It was now nearing 2:15. _I could've finished the dishes with those fifteen extra minutes!_ She lamented, moaning at the thought of time ill-spent.

A limo pulled up across the street from her seconds later, pulling her from her thoughts as it emerged in her peripherals. As it rolled to a stop, she heard muffled arguing coming from the inside. The driver came round to open the door, revealing her friend, who was obviously angry, as Haruhi could tell by her body language — raised shoulders and body tense and coiled like a cat waiting to spring up and catch somebody right in the nose — despite her facing away from her, to the other occupant of the car. With a grunt, Kida scooted out, scowling callously before spotting Haruhi. Her face dropped into a smile immediately, making the brunette question having even seen the severe face that her friend had just sported. She pushed it to the back of her mind as Kida approached. Stepping forward to meet her friend, she raised a hand in greeting.

"Hey, Kida-san. Was that Evans-san back there?"

Maka waved, but held back a grimace as she thought back to a few moments ago. "Hi! Yep, that was him. I'm sorry for being late, Soul insisted on coming with me last-minute." Smiling as she imagined the scene and drew parallels with her own encounters with the Hosts, Haruhi graciously waved off Maka's worries, satisfied with the excuse.

Maka smiled to herself, allowing herself to show her excitement outright. She couldn't share it with Soul — he'd just laugh at her — but she was super excited for this date. It would be much different from going out with the girls at home, whose fashion expertise well exceeded her own. From what she had gathered, Haruhi was much more of an elbow grease kind of girl, the kind that preferred to prioritize practical skills and place fashion on the back burner. There was _no way_ she'd be able to confide in Soul with embarrassing thoughts such as these. He'd laugh her straight out of the house. Her cheeks colored with excitement as she imagined exploring girly things with someone of equal stature.

"Let's go, then!" She quipped excitedly, tugging the girl along with her in her haste. "To the mall!" she declared, pointing in its general direction.

"Er, Kida-san, the shopping district is a bit far. Are you fine with walking?" Haruhi questioned, acutely aware of her friend's frail health.

Maka froze, a bit ashamed that she had so easily forgotten herself. "I feel fine today, so there shouldn't be any problem," she amended, earning a smile from her friend. "Let's go!" She once again chirped, stepping ahead excitedly. Even if she was playing at a sickly character, it didn't mean that she couldn't have fun! She'd just have to remember to keep her steps small and labored. She smiled, slipping into conversation as the two began towards their destination.

* * *

"L!" A ginger-haired girl squealed with displeasure as cold snow slid down her winter coat. Clawing at her back as if to remove the offending substance, she no sooner realized the futility of her efforts than did she hear the giggling of her sister.

"I- I'm sorry, A!" The girl apologized brokenly, her apology spoken in bits and pieces through her laughter. Within the next second, her long hair was soaked, face frozen in shock as her younger twin giggled behind her hand. "I'm going to get you back for that!" She promised, raising her hand menacingly.

Without warning, from the depths of her gut came a swelling feeling that threatened to break out more with each passing second. The snowball dropped from her hand, overshadowed by the swirling bits of ice that whipped dangerously around her young frame. When the bubbling became too great for her to handle, her body quickly began shutting down.

When she resurfaced, her sister was sprawled out on the snow, a nasty gash gushing out blood from her head. "A! A!" The girl screamed, shaking her sister, wishing desperately for her twinkling green eyes to wink playfully at her once more.

Hours later, the two were recovered from the snow in critical condition.

* * *

Fat tears dripped from the girl's pale cheeks as she gazed on the even paler visage of her beloved sibling. _This is all my fault,_ she thought in dismay, biting her lip. She had just woken up from having cried herself to sleep by her companion's bedside, only to find that it did near nothing to improve her mood. Loud sobs quieting down to sniffles as her tear supply plateaued, she quickly became aware of the voiced outside the room.

"This confirms it. Ellupsia has always shown a higher aptitude for magic, and it has been made clear through its awakening from its dormant state. A mother could not possibly be prouder."

"It's just a shame that Avulpesia failed to advance as quickly as her. But what more could you expect from twins? One almost always robs the other of its strength, making it into a lesser being. I'm surprised that she has any affinity for magic at all. Surely, it is because of your superior handle on the art, Madame Arcticus."

A dry laugh preceded her mother's reply. "Oh, you're too kind. In any case, this is just perfect! I had thought that my having mothered twins would be a curse, but the potential Ellupsia holds is nearly infinite — ripe for the taking. She'll be a perfect stand-in for our goals. And even if she fails, we'll have her sister as a back up. The situation could not be better!" The two shared another laugh. "I'll have to put them through specialized training to fatten them up and wait for them to grow, of course, but I've always been a patient woman."

The conversation ended there, as the sound of footsteps became more and more faint. Ellupsia was far too young to understand everything that was said, but old enough to know that nothing would ever be the same.

And that it was all her fault.

* * *

"Let's try going there, next!" Maka pointed to another store, determined to buy at least one thing, if only to be able to boast having gone shopping with a girlfriend before. However, she had had no luck so far with her current trip. Whereas she had thought that she and Haruhi were on equal footing in terms of fashion sense, the reality was much, much graver.

The girl was absolutely clueless.

She barely knew a camisole from a chemise, let alone a tasteful pairing from a visual calamity. Maka couldn't purchase anything with confidence that she wouldn't become laughing fodder for both DWMA and Ouran students everywhere when it was Haruhi who was assessing her choices. Not to mention, the brunette's distracted _mhmm'_ s were less than reassuring when she seemed to be more affixed to the giant sale poster on the boutique window than to Maka's own tentative creation.

Sighing sadly at the outcome of her latest outfit, Maka decided that a break was in order. "Let's call it quits just long enough to fetch something to eat," she offered, eyeing the fatty tuna poster that her friend was ogling at that moment.

"Huh? Oh, okay." Haruhi snapped back into attention, but not before staring long and hard at the delicious-looking sashimi that the ad boasted and sighing longingly. Maka smiled, the sight reminding her of her partner that she had left at home.

"That looks good, actually. We could go there, if that's okay with you?"

Haruhi briefly wondered if her cry of affirmationwas a little too enthusiastic.

* * *

"Mmm," Haruhi sighed through her food, savoring the taste. It wasn't exactly fancy tuna as the Hosts would define it, but it melted across her taste buds and pleased her stomach all the same.

"Alright, here you go," a waitress said, setting a large platter in front of Maka.

"Oh! Sorry for not waiting for you, Kida...san...?" Haruhi's jaw dropped down as she ogled the large meal that had just been placed in front of the girl: a 24 oz steak piled high with a luscious-looking gravy sauce, a crispy, nutty crust, and two sunny side up eggs sat next to a ludicrous amount of mashed potatoes, fixed with plenty of bacon, chives, cheese, sour cream, and more of that elusive gravy. A separate dish held an entire bowl filled to the brim with steamed mixed vegetables, and a confusingly large omelet soon joined the other dishes, steaming hot and oozing chicken, cheese, and vegetables galore. Lastly, an almond-crusted tuna steak on a bed of lentil quinoa salad was set next to a daunting, frothy chocolate milkshake.

Maka's knife froze a centimeter from digging into the first egg of her steak. _Well... Crap._ She gulped, searching for an explanation. Haruhi beat her to the punch.

"Well, that's a _lot_ of protein," she commented, nodding to herself. "Evans-san must work out a lot, right?" She paused long enough to place another perfectly constructed bite of fish and rice on her awaiting taste buds.

"Y-yeah!" Maka almost yelled, relieved for the excuse. She had been forgetting herself way too much for comfort, and it was beginning to wear on her. Falling into the lie like a crutch, Maka felt herself begin to unwind. "He prides himself on his strength, saying that he wants to protect me and all that, but I really wish he'd just rely on me more. I do my best to support him, but..." she trailed off, not even knowing where she was planning to go with her statement. _What am I doing, putting all this on poor Haruhi, of all people?_ Shaking her head, she decided to switch topics to easily a more relatable one: the Hosts. She watched as an unconscious smile erupted on the female Host's face and smiled happily at her friend's improved mood. So what, they hadn't bought anything? She always appreciated another friend. Shaking her head as the brunette began ranting about a certain blond, Maka waved her hand for a waiter. "Hey, can I have..."

* * *

She messed up.

Maka had thought that she was being courteous by picking up the tab, but it merely caused her friend to retreat into silence, waves of displeasure radiating from her.

"It's not your fault, Kida-san, I just don't like to..." Haruhi's words died down into grumbles, but Maka picked up just enough to, coupled with her own intuition, grasp her friend's train of thought. _To owe people? But it's not like I'd ever hold it against her_ — _we're friends!_ Maka bit her lip nervously as she sought a solution. _Oh, I know!_ She thought excitedly, a revelation visibly sweeping over her.

"Let's go to a bookshop, Fujioka-san!"

And just like that, Haruhi's expression began to melt into something more tame, her soul soothed by the promise of a good read. Maka was overjoyed.

Several moments later found them in front of a medium-sized bookstore, the first that Maka's GPS search yielded to them. It had taken a bit of trial-and-error to find a workable route (AKA one that Maka was able to give the impression of having worked through), but it she had needed to solidify her image. It was a necessary evil.

Regardless of the mildly troubling circumstances, she had greatly appreciated the slight smile on her friend's face afterwards, making it well worth it. Stepping through the cool air that was displaced by the opening of the sliding doors, Maka's smile widened upon feeling Haruhi's soul rejoice at the smell of ink on paper and worn leather. Deciding that it would be best to leave the girl to her own devices, Maka ambled away, fully intent on finding a novel (or two) to immerse herself in.

Maka's eyes glazed over as she smiled goofily. Resisting the urge to spread her arms out on either side of her and hug the nearest shelf, she merely gazed in a slaphappy stupor at the rows upon rows of literature. Suddenly released from the paralyzing glee that held her fast in her place, she skipped to the first one, a satisfying shiver running down her spine as she ran a finger over the books'. Stepping back and clasping her hands together, Maka recollected herself — she had been getting a bit too worked up over the Japanese titles — and set out to collect as many fables as she could, an excited blush coloring her cheeks as she all but ran to the furthermost rows.

* * *

Ignoring the nagging in the back of her mind that even a girl in excellent health wouldn't be able to carry such an amount of books without struggling, Maka put the two in her right hand on the growing pile nestled on her left arm, ignoring the three bags of leftovers ( _for Soul,_ she had explained, upon Haruhi asking, although in reality only one — the one filled with sashimi and the like — was for him) as they dangled perilously and reached the freed hand to select another epic, only for her face to crumple as another reached it first.

"Oh! Did you want this one, Kida-san?" The perpetrator turned, revealing herself to be Haruhi.

Maka paled, which helped further her act as she made a show of her knees buckling. After being helped by Haruhi and nodding her thanks, Maka internally smirked in triumph. Parting her lips for the first time in about two hours, her voice came out a rasp, and she coughed before trying again. "No, that's alright, since you got to it first. Just so long as I get to borrow it when you're done?" She pleaded.

"I guess that's a deal, Kida-san," Haruhi consented, returning the smile that Maka beamed at her.

"On one condition, though," Maka stopped Haruhi in her tracks, the brunette raising an eyebrow in question. "If we're going to be friends, then you'd better call me by my first name!" She smiled widely, her outgoing personality shining through and easily winning the girl over.

"Alright, then, Haruka-san—"

"—Nope, none of that! It's Haka- _chan!_ " Maka corrected, wondering if she was enjoying herself too much.

"Haka-chan...?"

"That's right, Haruhi!" Maka chirped, pleased at having made a new friend.

 _She calls me Haruhi, and yet I have to call her by that ridiculous nickname..._ Haruhi sweatdropped, but smiled anyway as a pleasant feeling washed over her. She had a girlfriend. It was different from the Hosts, from Renge, and from even her old girlfriends back in middle school. She looked out the window briefly, her smile growing fonder.

 _Can you see me now, Mom?_

* * *

"...Aaand we also have a small chapel for the few Catholics we have in the area, although some do travel from neighboring cities to go there on Sundays." Maka nodded as she took in the information, somehow managing to keep up with Haruhi neatly recording every word in a small notepad. "There's also a—"

Maka stopped a second from bumping into her friend, about to ask what was wrong, when she felt a droplet of water seep through her hair. Looking up, she noticed the sky above them just barely giving way to sheets of stratus clouds, the sun still shining stubbornly through the blotches of grey paint against the blue sky. Further back, darker wisps of grey seemed to be converging into the trademark anvil shape of a storm cloud. "Awh, looks like rain. We'd better find some place to take cover," she pointed out, watching as others around the busy street came to the same conclusion. Haruhi nodded her agreement.

The rain began to pour just seconds before they reached the shelter of a small cafe, leaving their shoulders completely soaked through and their bags significantly wet as well. Rather than going inside and messing up the upholstery on the seats, the girls decided that it'd be best to sit outside, where the overhanging roof protected several benches from taking the brunt of the rainfall. Once the two had situated themselves on the bench, bags taking up the majority of the available space, Maka stared up at the sky in worry, Haruhi visibly mirroring her distress. "Looks like it won't be letting up soon..." Maka sighed, getting up. "I need to quickly powder my nose," she pointed at the body part, a pleasant enough expression showing on the outside, but she scowled internally at the pointlessly alien phrase. _I need to take a piss,_ she corrected, the uncouth phrase a side effect of rooming with Soul for so many years, no doubt.

"I'll just be right back, okay?" She turned her back and gave a quiet grunt of discontent before running out into the rain.

* * *

The crash of thunder snapped Maka out of her thoughts. _The storm is right over us now._ She quickly dried her hands before she left the washroom. Waving to the lady at the counter who had let her in, Maka made a sad tent with her hands to cover her head, before rushing into the vacant streets.

Running for the bench where she had left Haruhi, it wasn't long before she realized that something was amiss. Slowing to a stop several yards before it, she stared at the abandoned cargo. Many of the bags were overturned, the contents soaking up water. Some had fallen to the ground, and Maka could see the pages clotting together, the ink draining from the paper. The books would be unreadable now, and Maka would be livid at any other time, were it not for one thing missing from the picture.

Where's Haruhi?

Maka pushed away all frantic fantasies of what could be happening to the small girl, forcing herself to calm down. Closing her eyes, Maka only needed to concentrate a little in order to locate her friend's soul. Small and blue, the human soul quivered in fear brought on by the thunder of the storm. _I should've checked! I said that I'd help her!_ Maka gritted her teeth, taking off in the direction she felt it.

With her running speed, it took several minutes before she reached Haruhi's position. She couldn't imagine how it had been from her friend's perspective. Even Maka's eyes burned from the rainwater. She quickly pushed through the doorway, sensing her friend's startled soul within.

It was dank and damp inside, and Maka couldn't hear a thing over the sound of her own breathing. It was too dark for her to see, too, and she had barely made it through the entrance without clumsily colliding with something or another. She closed her eyes again, honing in on the frightened Haruhi, too distracted to even notice her entrance.

"Haruhi," Maka moaned sadly, falling to her knees as she hugged the trembling brunette.

"Ha—" Haruhi's body seized up in fright at the sound of another thunderous crash.

Maka ducked the girl's head to her chest, covering her the best she could with her thin clothes and noodle arms, and squeezing whenever another boom caused the shaking of the girl in her arms to intensify.

A particularly loud crash elicited another yelp from Haruhi, followed by silence, but for the loud pitter-patter of rain on the roof. The storm was passing.

When the girl's sniffling died down a few moments later, Maka jumped on the chance to speak. "Why didn't you tell me that you were afraid?" _You could've canceled. You could've told me you were tired. You could've said something at the cafe!_

Haruhi flinched at the accusatory tone, but said nothing. It was silent for the next few moments until Maka broke the silence again. "Haruhi-chan. You can tell me anything and not worry about being judged, because we're friends. That's what friends do. You can trust me to keep your secrets because I care about you. That's what friendship is." The next few moments were quiet as the two mulled over the words.

"I'm sorry." Haruhi said after a small eternity. "I don't like to... To rely on people," she admitted quietly.

Maka smiled as the brunette affirmed her thoughts. "But that's not what friendship is all about, dummy. You rely on me and I rely on you. The only way that can happen is if we trust each other with our feelings. It's not _bad_ to lean on your friends or to let them help you. In fact, I'm sure all of Hosts want you to let them help you sometimes, even Kyoya-senpai. They want you to trust them like they trust you."

Haruhi's eyes watered as she considered this. Was she really making the Hosts sadder by not allowing them to do things for her?

"Everyone knows your independent, Haruhi. They want to help you, not because they think you can't do it on your own, but because they love you."

Haruhi lowered her head further into Maka's dress. A mumble followed a few moments later. "...Okay." Maka smiled. "Damn rich bastards," she added as an afterthought.

With the half-hearted phrase hanging in the air, the two sat in silence until the rain died down to a drizzle. Haruhi had been yawning every so often and was a wink away from when she spoke. "Y'know, Haruka-chan, you're really strong. Rely on—" a yawn, "—us too, okay?"

"Huh?" Maka said, almost missing the entirety of Haruhi's statement, having lost herself in the silence ages ago. But the girl was already fast asleep, leaving Maka to shrug it off as sleep-dazed rambling. Rather than pondering it further, she maneuvered around the snoozing girl to reach for her phone, having felt it vibrate earlier. Opening it, she noted two messages: one from Soul, and the other, surprisingly from Kyoya (since when did she have his number?).

Opening the one from her partner first, she waved off his concerns about the weather and said that she'd be a while before returning home. No sooner had she sent it did she receive a reply.

'Aight, eating without you.'

She rolled her eyes at his lack of concern, giving him the go-ahead before checking the text from Kyoya.

'I trust that she's alright?'

It was short and simple, but sent chills down her spine anyway. Just how much did that man know? She sure didn't tell him that she would be going out with Haruhi and was fairly confident that the sensible brunette didn't either. Of all the Hosts, he was the one she was most wary of finding out their secret. She fired off a quick reply before closing her eyes for an impromptu nap as well.

* * *

"A! A!" Ellupsia was smacked with a sense of horrid nostalgia as she watched her sister hit her head on her way to the floor. Shaking her double's fevered body, she cried out for help, wilting with relief when her mother showed up around the corner moment later. However, she failed to notice the woman's anger. "Mother, please, A's..."

The with approached the two, her severe features finally becoming apparent to the older twin as she stepped back in apprehension. The woman did not slow in her approach, pointing a neatly trimmed finger towards the girl before screaming. " _Get away from her, Ellupsia!_ "

Startled, the girl did as she was told, only to stare, bewildered, when her mother snatched her arm roughly, leaving her sister on the ground. "M... Mother, what are you doing? Help her! Mo—" Ellupsia quieted when her mother's palm came down upon her face with a hard smack.

"Stop dawdling and leave that useless child alone! That _pest_ is ruining everything!" The woman hissed, black hair flying around her hard features. "Come now, we must double — no, _quadruple!_ — your training! That child can barely complete menial tasks, and now _that one_ is doing something to my precious power supplies! We have to suppress her before long..."

The girl reached towards her sister in a futile effort as her mother pulled her along. She hardened her eyes. _This is all her fault! That Maka Albarn pest..._

* * *

"Welcome to the Host Club!"

 _Is it just me, or are there more clients than usual?_ Maka wondered as she listened to the cry of what seemed to be millions of girls. _Just a peek,_ she promised herself as she took a look at some of the souls in the room. _Yep, definitely don't recognize her,_ she eyed a brunette with a high-set pompadour. _Or her,_ she noticed another girl with a blonde bob.

She didn't have the time to consider any more newcomers because the floodgates suddenly opened. Maka pulled in her legs just in time to avoid it getting smashed by dozens of heeled shoes. She was being pushed at from all sides, encapsulated in a coffin of yellow.

"Alright ladies, if you don't mind — you're suffocating a special guest of mine."

And with those words, she could breathe again. It was scary, actually, how quickly all those crazies managed to organize themselves into an orderly pack in front of the Cool Host. She looked at him in surprise, slowly lowering her legs back to the ground as she squinted apprehensively. She turned her head when he glanced at her, after which he cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for your patience and continued support. This month, in addition to our Host Magazines, we have some special photo shoots including Sweet, Strong, Natural; Twins/Toy; Tamaki and his Princess(ess); and a limited edition booklet, The Hidden Feelings of Soul. If you have pre-ordered a package, please indicate so on the provided transaction sheet, otherwise, Renge-kun will be taking your orders." With that, the stampede rushed towards the aforementioned student, who had managed to set up a kiosque with neatly arranged stanchions and arrows painted on the ground to direct the crowd without being noticed.

"Interested in purchasing anything? We can print one up for you if there are none left after our clients make their transactions." Kyoya informed, seating himself across from her. "For a price, of course."

"Likely not," Maka waved off the offer.

"Ehh, why not?"

"Surely you would want ours." The twins said, placing themselves on either side of her from behind the couch.

"If she doesn't want to, then she doesn't want to!" Haruhi intervened, approaching her as well. Seeing the question on her face, Haruhi spoke again. "On days like this, business is a bit sparse, especially in the beginning, as the girls place and retrieve their orders. Mind if I sit with you, Haruka-chan?"

While Maka pouted at the nickname, the twins gasped as if something scandalous had occurred. "Oh, what's this?"

" _Haruka-chan?_ "

"When did this development-"

"-Come about?"

"Last time I checked, it was none of your business what I call my friend," Haruhi replied airily, goading the twins on as the pair adopted equally mischievous grins. Those grins quickly dropped to frowns as they delved into their act.

"Oh, you wound me, Haruhi!" Hikaru cried, falling into his twin's arms.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru cried, holding his hand.

"I can't believe... She could be so cruel... I didn't want to believe that it was possible, but I've been fooling myself!" Hikaru continued, tears falling from his eyes as he stared into the distance.

"Shh... Don't talk. Just think about me! I'll never betray you!" Kaoru comforted.

Hikaru slid his eyes to meet his brother's. "Really? Will you truly never betray me?"

"Of course not, you idiot! I love you!" Kaoru confessed, eyes watering. The two embraced then separated, leaning in to each other.

"That's enough, you devil twins!" Tamaki raged, pushing the two apart. "Stop tainting my daughters with your perverted acts!"

"But Tono,"

"You do perverted things with your clients all the time." They defended.

"W-well that's different! It's a perfectly normal, loving relationship between a woman and a man—"

"But Tono, does that mean that two guys can't love each other? Cassanova-kun liked Haruhi before he realized that she was a girl."

"Stop twisting my words, you evil doppelgängers!" He reached over to grab them, only to topple over and fall on his face instead.

Laughing at him from a safe distance, they threw a second banana peel, causing him to fall again, just as he righted himself. Tamaki began to shed crocodile tears from his place on the floor. "MO—" His voice caught in his throat as he spotted the glare that his second-in-command had for him. His lip trembled as he sought out another- "HARU—" but was met with one equally as harsh. Crawling to Maka in a last attempt at acceptance, he gave her his best impression of puppy eyes. "Kida-hime, nobody likes me."

Internally sneering at the irony of his statement, she gave him the curtest answer she could. "Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe you should try a bit harder to act in such a way that they would accept you? Like your age," she whispered, turning back around without waiting for his reaction.

The twins roared with laughter as he crumpled to the floor, keeling over in a massive attempt not to fall with the force of their mirth. Tamaki then retreated to his mushroom corner, and Kyoya decided to simply let him be, figuring that he'd be out before his clients started trickling in.

"Let's relocate to a quieter place," Haruhi lowered her voice to a level that the twins didn't hear, nudging her friend to get her attention. Maka nodded, following her to Honey and Mori's station.

"Hi, Haru-chan! Hi, Ha-chi!" Honey was the first to give any outward acknowledgment of their arrival, peeling his face from his cousin's hands as he greeted them.

"Mitsukuni." Mori rumbled sternly, garnering a huff from the blond.

"Takashi, you didn't say hi to Haru-chan and Ha-chi!"

The giant gave a quick nod of greeting, before turning his sights back to his cousin.

"That's not good eno—"

"Mitsukuni." The teen repeated.

The senior in question remained silent for a moment, before suddenly bursting into tears. "I don't have a cavity, okay? I can eat cake just fine!" To demonstrate, he spooned a slice into his mouth, but it was obvious that he was chewing only on one side.

 _Maybe we came at a bad time..._ Maka tried to communicate to Haruhi with her eyes, but the brunette was watching the pair before her with rapt attention.

Pulling an ice pop from literally nowhere, Mori caught the Host by surprise when he stuck it in his mouth. Honey reacted strongly, squealing in protest, then quickly palming his cheek as if to hide the pain, but the damage was already done.

Mori gazed down upon him in obvious disapproval. He moved towards him and Honey closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever was coming, opening his eyes when he felt the air move beside him. By the time he realized what was going on, Mori had already removed the plate from the table and was heading for the trash. Honey watched in horror as the confectionary slid off the dish and landed in the bin beyond his view.

Watching worriedly for an explosive reaction, Maka was shocked when the student simply turned and exited the room moments later.

 **A/N: AY, YO MORI AND KYOYA FANS. PLEASE SHOW YOURSELVES. YOU CAN VOTE ONCE PER CHAPTER, BUT Y'ALL ARE BEING OUTDONE BY THE TRULY PERSISTENT. BE VIGILANT!**

 **On a side** **note, Hikaru and Kaoru** **are getting** **a lot more** **votes than I had expected... That would be an interesting** **outcome.**

 **Lots of stuff to talk about today.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to** **Lovesymmetry8888 for being** **my 100th follower! Feel free to request** **anything, be it a one-shot or a chapter, or anything. Thanks so much! :D**

 **Big thanks to Moon487 for suggesting the title for Soul's photo album! Wouldn't have even included this scene if it wasn't for you!**

 **Let the records show that I, also, cannot tell the difference between a camisole and a chemise, just that they are both articles of clothing that begin with c.**

 **Omggg, so I was looking for incidents where Maka and Tsubaki converse so I could decide what Maka and Haruhi would call each other, and just listening to Resonance brought back so many memories... I think I'm going to rewatch Soul Eater. I just rerewatched OHSHC last month, so I might as well (even if SE is much longer, lol).**

 **Ugh.**

 **(is flailing)**

 **SOUL.**

 **UGH.**

 **KIDDO-KUN, MY SON.**

 **UUGGHHHH.**

 **(falls)**

 **Is it okay to name my son Kid?**

 **Still taking suggestions for which Host Maka ends up with, vote wisely! I'm rooting for Kyoya~**

 **Psst. I'll let you in on a secret.**

 **I got the inspiration for Maka's thoughts during the shopping scene from my own experiences. Quick story time: I don't consider myself particularly girly, with the makeup/nails/clothes/fashion/whatever sense that most girls around me seem to have. I grew up, to an extent, hating that kind of stuff. However, my younger sister has proven to be sort of girly, and she tends to ask me to do... girly things with her. When I can't say no to that adorable face (I have no good reason to decline besides 'I don't like that kind of stuff'), I end up painting her nails and having to paint mine, taking selfies, or whatever...**

 **...And I sort of enjoy it.**

 **Now, wait a second — this is the kind of stuff I don't tell people. The kind of stuff that I can only reveal, thanks to the anonymity of the Internet. [Amber, Courteney, Jennifer, Vicki, Jordyn, Anah... Nicolas. NICOLAS, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT.] I'd never tell my mom, and we're SUPER close. I told my best friend and regretted it immediately after because he screenshotted the whole thing. Maka has it even worse, since my best friend isn't as crude as Soul — just the opposite, he's polite to a fault. He, at least, would have the decency to laugh behind his hand, for example. But as for Maka? Who can she speak to about her newly-found feminine interests? Well, Haruhi, of course! Even if she can't spill everything, she can get a decent load off her chest without feeling judged by a highly knowledgeable friend. I'm relieved by Maka's relief.**

 **Channeling myself through my story is funn~**

 **FREAKING NICOLAS, IF I EVER HEAR SO MUCH AS A SINGLE SYLLABLE ABOUT THIS,** _ **SO HELP ME, GOD,**_ **I WILL STRANGLE YOU MYSELF.**

Posted: August 22, 2017  
Updated: August 22, 2017

 _~Reginna Grace_


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